Return to Fairy Tail
by Quyey
Summary: AU; Lisanna is student at the magic academy FALLEN PHOENIX. Because of an incident she had to leave her former school FAIRY TAIL two years ago. Now she returns, when both academies are fused together. While the students have to deal with their internal conflicts, a mysterious organization endangers the magic world.
1. Chapter 01: The announcement

Finally the story can really start now. Regarding the first two chapters as specials this is the actual first chapter. Unfortunately there are too many characters taking part here so it is lacking detailed information.

Reviews are welcome.

* * *

><p>Chapter 1: The announcement<p>

FALLEN PHOENIX – a well known academy for young magicians close to the dark side. Most of the students sent here have either accidently gained knowledge of forbidden magic, can't control their magical power or have carelessly broken the rules of magic.

The aim of the academy is to provide the students a possibility to train their magic properly under the supervision of elite-educators. But the circumstances are quite difficult because no one's here on own free will. There is always an aggressive attitude between the students. Some have gathered into so called gangs. But the rivalry between the gangs is only complicating things.

But all this won't mind anymore because things are soon going to change essentially.

-...-

Most of the gang was already sitting in the cafeteria discussing the probable outcome of the Popularity Poll which was currently held amongst all students.

Yamchu: "Who do you think is going to win this year?"

Tenshinhan: "…"

Sophie: "Surely there will be female winner again. Last year there wasn't any guy in the top five. I've already spied on some minds and know that there are only two participants competing for the first place."

Eva: "Now that you mention it this way there are only two possible candidates left."

Cathy only listened to the others because she was new and couldn't really participate in the conversation.

Yuna: "I'm sure that Ayumi-sama will win this year again."

"…" Tenshinhan nodded calmly.

"But don't forget that Lisanna was very close to her last year. Maybe she's the one taking the throne this year." A pink-haired boy wearing a motorbike jacket and with big goggles on his forehead appeared from the back.

"Nat!" Cathy replied surprised. "Speaking of which, where is Lisanna anyway? She'll be late for classes."

Sophie: "Nah. They won't be late. Since you're new you can't know but they always use to arrive just a minute before it starts." After a short pause she continued: "Speaking of the devil. I sensed them entering the building right now."

Everyone turned the head towards the entrance.

Only a moment later Lisanna and Jean entered the cafeteria. It was a common sight. As usual Lisanna was lecturing Jean for causing the late arrival. Jean couldn't do anything but to apology again and again scratching the back of his head bashfully.

Lisanna finally turned her attention to the gang and waved them. Almost everyone waved back. Only Nat stood a bit offside the group and tried to hide his sadness that would always emerge when he saw the happy pair.

Before Lisanna and Jean could reach the table they were disturbed by a sudden shout coming from afar but coming closer fast: "LisanNAAAH!"

With insane speed a girl rushed right in front of them and was hardly able to stop properly. It was Ayumi Takahara, the current holder of the title most popular student. She was the leader the so called Insiders, a pool of the more popular members of the academy. Last year she had appointed herself to Lisanna's rival because Lisanna informally had achieved the role of the gang leader. But the rivalry had already lasted since Lisanna had been transferred to the academy and hadn't accepted becoming a member of the insiders.

Right behind Ayumi appeared her bodyguard Ggio Vega.

Jean instinctively took a fighting position but was stopped by Lisanna. "I'm sure you're here for talking." Lisanna put up a fake smile towards Ayumi. Regarding their everlasting rivalry the smile was somewhat threatening.

After a short pause Ayumi went on: "Did you hear the latest news. The intermediary results of the poll have been published. Apparently it is a neck-and-neck race between the two of us. Do you really believe you can take my title?" Ayumi questioned provokingly.

Lisanna stayed calm – at least to the outside. Before she could react, director Aich announced via loud speakers: "All students have to gather in the assembly hall in five minutes! I have to make important information." His assistant added: "And before anyone asks: IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT STUPID POPULARITY CONTEST!"

Everyone was looking at each other with a questioning face. Lisanna and Ayumi decided to settle their dispute for now.

-...-

The students finally gathered in the hall. The director was standing in front of the audience. He was supported by the teachers Ami Mizuno and Masato Sanjoin standing next to him. Amongst all teachers they were well known as the absolute elite.

The audience was chatting nervously.

"Do you have the slightest idea, what information could be that urgent?" Yamchu asked Sophie.

"Nope. Maybe it has something to do the upcoming exams."

"Silence!" the director cut the chatting crowd off.

"To give the basic information first: Our academy has to be closed."

There really was silence now after this striking announcement.

"Because we won't be able to hold the upcoming exams here, all students are transferred to the magic academy FAIRY TAIL."

* * *

><p>next chapter: FAIRY TAIL<p> 


	2. Chapter 02: FAIRY TAIL

I use this chapter to give some details about the yet unknown characters and I finally introduce a new character I've completely forgotten last time.

Feel free to review. I need some advices on which characters I should focus more (I've already chosen some main characters but there will be some chapters focusing on the side characters as well.

* * *

><p><em>"Silence!" the director cut the chatting crowd off.<em>

_"To give the basic information first: Our academy has to be closed."_

_There really was silence now after this striking announcement._

_"Because we won't be able to hold the upcoming exams here, all students are transferred to the magic academy FAIRY TAIL."_

Chapter 2: FAIRY TAIL

After the announcement had finally ended the students left the hall with mixed feelings. Some were simply shocked and didn't know what to think (e.g. Sophie), others felt fear of an uncertain future awaiting them now (e.g. Ayumi).

The ones who didn't like this place at all probably were lucky. For them it was unique chance to re-start. Ace de Puma had been released from prison when his innocence had been found out after 4 years. His bad experiences made it almost impossible for him to get in contact at FALLEN PHOENIX. He swore to himself that at FAIRY TAIL he would make everything better.

Others were excited to meet the members of FAIRY TAIL. Jean was eager to test his magic on their elite. He already thought of the most capable opponent – the rumors about FT's salamander sounded the most promising. But there was yet another reason why he wanted to fight with him.

There was one person who had different and partly opposite feelings towards FT. Happiness, excitement, uneasiness, sadness, anger. And all these feelings mixed at the same time. Lisanna had been a former member of the academy before she had to change to FALLEN PHOENIX. Her new friends knew about but she hadn't revealed any details of this time. So no one could know her misery.

-…-

Courses had been cancelled for the day.

Sophie and Cathy shared a three bedroom apartment at the school's dormitory and were on their way home.

Although Cathy was the newest student at FP, she was able to find friends in the gang fast. Especially she and Sophie would get along very well. They were at same age – Cathy wa 15 and Sophie recently became 16 years old – and a bit younger than the rest of the students. Aside from their matching characters they even looked almost alike so they would soon be called twins although they weren't. Both were rather small, about 1,60 m. They had short brown hair to the shoulders. When wearing the school uniform it was almost impossible to distinguish them from afar. There were slight differences in the figure. Sophie was thin but Cathy was a mere beanstalk.

Unusually Sophie walked silently and apparently sunken into thoughts. Cathy could imagine she was worried about the news. Finally she decided to break the silence.

"May I ask you a question, Sophie-chan?"

"Huh?" Because she was still sunken into thoughts Sophie had problems to react properly. "Well, sure you can."

"What does it mean to you that the academy has to be closed? I have heard that most of students had to attend here – like me. But after all the years your feelings might be confused?"

"Well, I personally came to FP on my own will" Sophie responded.

Cathy looked at her surprised.

Sophie continued: "Jean-nii has been a member of FP for ten years now. But he didn't progress well. He had some problems in approaching the other students. So three years later I finally decided to attend here in order to support him. Somehow it worked. Maybe we aren't part of the insiders but of the most discredited gang of FP. I'm sure that our bond will live on at FT as well." Sophie's thoughtful expression had finally turned into a smile.

Cathy smiled back and then turned her head towards the sky: "I would be glad if you let participate in your unique bond."

Waiting for an answer she suddenly noticed that Sophie had stopped abruptly.

"What's the matter?"

Sophie held her head: "Sorry, but I can't see the way anymore. I guess after all the excitement my magic doesn't work that well."

Sophie was blind. She had lost her eyesight due to magic. Her magic, the so called Bond of Heart, allowed her to connect her mind with others but only with few people at the same time. She was even able to see through the eyes of others.

Cathy took Sophie's hand. "Can't be helped. Then we have to go on like that for now."

-…-

"What did you say? The members of FP are going to join our academy?" Gray junped off his seat and shouted surprised at Erza after hearing the news. Lucy was surprised as well but she seemed to be more scared.

"That was what director Makarov announced to me and Mira." Erza answered calmly.

"Huh? Never heard of someone with that name." Natsu mentioned calmly still sitting. He made the others sigh but in the end his behavior eased the tension. The fact that he was thinking of only one person revealed that he truly didn't have any clue.

"Don't you know the Devils of Fallen Phoenix?" Lucy asked him unbelievingly. Well, even Erza and Gray hadn't heard of that name yet.

"As you know I had lived in Liliana before I entered FT one year ago. My hometown is located the nearest to this academy."

'Academy?' Natsu still didn't really get what Lucy was talking about.

Lucy continued: "Back then they used to partying in Liliana always leaving a great mess. Once I witnessed only ten of them rampaging our annual fair. Shortly afterwards my family left the town and I chose to attend FT."

"Well, we won't let them do as they please at our academy." Erza said determined.

"You're absolutely right." Gray agreed confidently.

"So it's going to get interesting soon?" Natsu was finally heated up looking forward the upcoming events.

* * *

><p>Next time there will be more from Fairy Tail and the first interaction between Fallen Phoenix and Fairy Tail – stay tuned.<p>

next chapter: Harbingers of chaos


	3. Chapter 03: Harbingers of chaos

Ugh. My longest chapter so far. I didn't expect that when I started with it. I'm glad I was still able to finish it yet.

I hope I can wake some interest in my OC (at the end of this chapter).

Reviews are welcome.

* * *

><p><em>Lucy continued: "Back then they used to partying in Liliana always leaving a great mess. Once I witnessed only ten of them rampaging our annual fair. Shortly afterwards my family left the town and I chose to attend FT."<em>

_"Well, we won't let them do as they please at our academy." Erza said determined._

_"You're absolutely right." Gray agreed confidently._

_"So it's going to get interesting soon?" Natsu was finally heated up looking forward the upcoming events._

Chapter 3: Harbingers of chaos

Lucy was walking along the corridor to the entrance hall. Lucy was looking for Natsu and Gray because she hadn't seen them for the past five hours. She reached the upper level of the hall from where she had the best overview. But she couldn't identify one of her friends in mass of students down there.

Suddenly she saw a blue cat flying down there through the hall, towards a certain corridor.

"Happy, wait!" she shouted over to him.

The cat stopped abruptly almost falling to the ground. Happy turned around but he couldn't identify who was calling him.

Lucy took out a silver key: "Open the gate of Aquila!" a human sized eagle appeared. "Could you please take me down there?" Lucy asked politely pointing over to Happy.

The students noticed the summoning of Aquila and stared up surprised.

Lucy landed next to Happy. "Thank you. Close gate!" Aquila vanished again.

"Lucy. You scared me to death." he said reproachful.

'Has he always to exaggerate?' Lucy thought sighing. "I'm sorry. I've been looking for Natsu and Gray for quite a while. Do you have any idea where they could be?"

"Aye!" Happy answered.

For a short a moment nothing happened. Lucy was looking at the blue cat that was looking at Lucy.

"A-and could you please tell me where they are?" Lucy asked sighing not understanding why she even had to ask.

"Aye! Follow me!" was Happy's respond.

-…-

Lucy had followed Happy for almost 15 minutes now. He hadn't revealed yet where they were going to but Lucy realized that they were heading towards the training grounds which were located at one edge of the academy.

"Are you sure that Natsu and Gray are there?" she asked wondering what her friends had been doing there the whole time.

"Aye! Natsu said that he and Gray had to prepare."

"Prepare?" Lucy asked. Getting closer to the training ground she noticed battling noises coming from there.

Lucy started to hurry.

-…-

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu charged a large fireball out of his mouth towards Gray.

"Ice Make Shield!" Gray built up a large wall of ice in front him for protection.

The effect didn't last long and the ice started to melt away fast. But on the other hand Natsu's attack was over before it could reach Gray.

"Congrats! I didn't expect you to melt down my shield that fast." Gray complimented to Natsu.

"Same goes for you. I didn't expect you still to be able to create such a huge wall." Natsu responded.

Both were visibly exhausted because they had been battling again and again for the last hours.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Lucy had just entered and witnessed the last attacks.

Natsu and Gray decided to rest for now and turned towards Lucy.

"We're just getting ready for the guys of FP." was Natsu's answer.

"So you're intending to fight them before you've even met?" Lucy questioned unbelievingly.

"But wasn't you who told us how dangerous they are?" Gray commented. "And Erza mentioned that we should prepare properly."

"I don't think she meant it that way." Lucy sighed.

-…-

Later that day at night the red haired woman entered a bar she used to visit often.

Mira was standing at the bar and turned over to her late guest: "Erza, welcome." she greeted politely. "I missed you visiting the last days. Nice seeing you today."

"Well, I was busy preparing for tomorrow." Erza said taking a seat.

"The same as usual?"

Erza nodded at Mira's question. "Tomorrow?" Mira referred to what Erza just said before while preparing the drink.

"The director didn't involve you yet but tomorrow a representative unit from FP is visiting our academy."

Mira listened concentrated while serving the drink: "Here you are."

"Thank you."

"Why didn't director Makarov involve me then?" Mira wondered returning to the bar.

"Well, the director asked me to explain you." Erza commented.

She paused for a moment and then continued: "According to rumors Lisanna is a member of the representative unit."

Mira froze at these words.

"Director Makarov wasn't sure if would be good for you two to meet so soon. So he asked me to request you to keep away tomorrow."

"Well, I understand that." Mira turned to Erza with a set up smile.

She noticed Erza finished drinking. "Would you like another one?"

Erza nodded watching over to Mira a bit sad.

-…-

The next day FP's air ship was landing on a field near FT. On the ground FT's reception team already awaited them. It consisted of Gildarts Clive in the center, Macao Conbolt to his left and Erza Scarlet to his right.

Four persons left the air ship.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail." Gildarts was the first to speak.

"Thank you very much." the girl replied politely. "We are glad that you accepted our short-termed visit."

"You're welcome. My name is Gildarts Clive and I'm in charge of introducing our academy to you before meeting our director, Makarov Dreyar. My assistants are Erza Scarlet and Macao Conbolt."

"It is nice to meet you, Gildarts-sama." the girl greeted back politely. "Then I should introduce me and my team: my name is Ayumi Takahara. I'm the student representative of our academy."

Gildarts and his team were a bit surprised because she seemed relatively young for that position. Erza guessed her to be 16 years old. She had gained the same position last year at the age of 18.

Ayumi continued: "My first assistant is Jean Bouvier." she pointed to a young, relatively small man with short dark-brown hair and brown eyes. His chubby figure wasn't what you would suspect from a member of FP. "He is our special analist."

Jean suddenly noticed a small pool of water were there wasn't any just before. But he couldn't identify anything strange. It might just have been his imagination.

"The woman next to him is Evangeline A.K. McDowell" Ayumi pointed to a girl with long blond hair that was even a bit smaller. She had a serios look and seemed to be watching over to Erza. She didn't seem to be much older than Ayumi, so Erza wondered why she was referred to as 'woman'. "She is our veteran member and will support me with her experience."

"The last member of the team is Annalis Sasturs." she pointed to a thin girl with black hair plaited into two short pigtails. She had brown eyes and seemed watching Erza as well. Erza even noticed a slight evil aura coming from her that made her shiver a bit. "Amongst all students she was the most eager one to meet Fairy Tail." Ayumi added.

Annalis frowned secretly at this comment.

"Nice to meet you." Gildarts replied friendly. "To be true we expected you to be six persons."

"Well, there is one member left in the ship that will wait there for our return and meanwhile prepare everything for our way back. And …" Ayumi looked down to the ground blushing. "Our team leader is currently missing. He said that he had to carry something out and left the air ship before our arrival."

Gildarts, Erza and Macao were taken aback at this explanation.

"Well, that doesn't mind. I think we should proceed as planned." Gildarts suggested.

Erza seemed to be a bit disappointed that Lisanna wasn't part of the representative unit but maybe the person left in the ship...

-…-

Lucy and Natsu were walking through the town next to FT. They didn't notice the arrival of the FP-members.

"Why did you take me here?" Natsu moaned. "To be true I'm not very keen on going shopping. Couldn't you have asked somebody else? I'm sure that Loke wouldn't have minded."

"Well, Natsu." Lucy blushed shyly. "I wanted to be alone with you."

"With me?" Natsu was visibly surprised.

'Damn you Erza!' Lucy secretly frowned without Natsu noticing.

In truth Erza had tasked her to keep Natsu away from FT for while. But for some reason the idea of being alone with Natsu didn't mind her anymore. She wondered.

"If that's the case I know the perfect location." Natsu smiled happily and grabbed Lucy's arm.

Lucy soon relized that they were heading back to the academy.

'W-wait! We should keep away from there.' Lucy thought but she wasn't able to speak it out to stop Natsu.

-…-

For a while now the reception team consisting of Gildarts, Erza and Macao was still introducing the important locations of FT to the representative team from FP consisting of Ayumi, Jean, Eva and Annalis.

As usual Jean was quietly following to the presentation at the back end of the group. He recorded some data he considered important.

Suddenly his right eye received a signal. A certain power had just arrived at FT.

'There you are' Jean thought locating the signal. It was an easy task for him to leave the group without being noticed.

-…-

Some minutes later. Annalis wasn't content with the slow development of their visit. She wasn't interested in the presentation at all and decided to search for an excuse for leaving the group.

"Excuse me." she suddenly interrupted Gildarts' explanations. "I need to use the washroom."

"No problem. Erza-san can show you the way." Macao suggested.

"You don't need to hurry. We can wait here for the moment." Gildarts commented.

Erza and Annalis left the group.

-…-

After 15 minutes Erza returned to the group alone.

"Annalis, she somehow escaped from the washroom without me noticing."

"And that's not the only problem. When you left we noticed another person was already missing." Gildarts was referring to Jean. "I already sent Macao to search for him."

"I am very sorry for the bad behavior of my mates." Ayumi apologized. "I'm sure they won't cause any trouble." But she knew it better.

"I should inform the director of the recent development." Gildarts just nodded as Erza went off.

"I should have paid more attention." Ayumi remarked sorrowfully. She just then noticed that Eva was missing too.

-…-

"Long time no see." a tall, young man with blond hair and a lightning mark on his face suddenly appeared in the office of director Makarov.

-…-

"I've seen you through." Erza suddenly noticed that she had been followed by the blond-haired girl all along.

-…-

"Found you!" Jean shouted at Natsu and Lucy suddenly appearing above them.

-…-

"LISANNA!" a blue-haired woman suddenly rushed at Annalis.

* * *

><p>After having finished the chapter I find the title is quite matching. I wasn't sure about that when I started writing it.<p>

I hope you enjoyed the fight scene between Natsu and Gray, although it is very short. There will be more fights in the next chapters.

I've decided for a theme song for the chapters I've uploaded until now: _Thoushaltnot – Last Comfort_

You can find it on youtube or on the homepage: thoushalt .net

next chapter: Forbidden magic


	4. Chapter 04: Forbidden Magic

Another chapter that got longer than I expected. It took me almost two nights to finish it.

The story is full of turns. I hope they keep the story interesting but not too complicated.

New theme song from here on: ThouShaltNot - Glaciers

Reviews are welcome.

* * *

><p><em>"Long time no see." a tall, young man with blond hair and a lightning mark on his face suddenly appeared in the office of director Makarov.<em>

_-…-_

_"I've seen you through." Erza suddenly noticed that she had been followed by the blond-haired girl all along._

_-…-_

_"Found you!" Jean shouted at Natsu and Lucy suddenly appearing above them._

_-…-_

_"LISANNA!" a blue-haired woman suddenly rushed at Annalis._

Chapter 4: Forbidden Magic

FLASHBACK: FEW DAYS AGO

_Ayumi, Jean, Eva, Lisanna and Nat were called to the office of director Aich._

_The five were lined up right in front of the desk. On the other side the director sat in his chair. Next to him stood Ami Mizuno, an elite educator and assistant of the director._

_"I've decided to send a representative unit to Fairy Tail." director Aich finally started. "After checking all students' data I've come to the result that you five are the most fitted candidates. Would you please go on Ami-san?"_

_With 22 years Ami was pretty young for being a high-ranked educator. She had blue hair plaited into a long pigtail. Her glasses made her look older then she was. _

_Ami took out her notes and explained:_

_"Ayumi Takahara was chosen because she is the most popular student of our academy. At least an unofficial poll amongst all students verifies this fact."_

_Ayumi reacted proudly at these words. 'See, Lisanna? You're still no match for me.' she teased Lisanna whispering. Lisanna frowned a bit._

_"Silence!" demanded the director._

_"Jean Bouvier was chosen because of his analytical skills. His main task will be to gather information."_

_'That's perfect!' Jean thought. 'Just wait, Natsu!'_

_"Evangeline A.K. McDowell was chosen because of her age. She should be able to support the team with her experience."_

_Eva didn't seem to be interested from the outside. 'Mira, now we can finally find out whose Take-Over-magic is the strongest.' She was trying hard to hide her excitement._

_"Lisanna Strauss was chosen because she is a former student of FT and can provide necessary information of the members and the location."_

_Lisanna was uneasy about the decision. She knew she wasn't ready yet to return to FT. Her greatest fear was that her family, her old friends, all the students might not accept her back. She remembered back then, when everything had gone wrong… Then her present friends came into her mind. There were Jean, Sophie, Nat, … Nat – for the past two years she hadn't been able to tell him the truth. But now he would find out himself soon._

_"Natsu Dragion was chosen because of his engineering skills. He will be in charge of the air ship."_

_'Great! I've long waited for the chance flying the air ship again. On top of that I'm going on a mission together with Lisanna.' Nat thought happily.  
><em>

_"Finally the team needs a leader." Ami continued. "But unfortunately all teachers are currently unavailable for this task."_

_"I've already found the most suitable person for this task." director Aich replied. "You can come in now." he was calling someone from outside the door._

_A tall, young man with blond hair and a lightning mark on his face entered the room._

_Everyone was staring at him surprised. They all knew from earlier._

_"Laxus-sama!" Ayumi was the first to react._

_Laxus Dreyar was no other than the grandson of FT's director Makarov Dreyar. He had been a former member of FT and until last year he had been a member of FP as well._

_Lisanna had already known him from back then but not very good. Five years ago he had to leave FT and was transferred to FP. His story was a bit similar to Lisanna's. When Lisanna was transferred to FP as well they had met again. For the last two years their relationship had become much closer. The gang had been formed under Laxus' command. His graduation last year had been a great loss for all gang members._

_Currently Laxus was working as a headhunter capturing dark mages. Since he had heard of this mission he was unstoppable. The opportunity of both meeting his gang again and returning to FT was a unique one._

-…-

PRESENT - FAIRY TAIL

[15.09: at the director's office]

"Laxus! What the hell are you doing here?" Makarov shouted at his grandson.

"Hey, hey, calm down. I was sent here as leader of the representative unit of FP. But I couldn't wait for the others and sneaked in before."

"You call yourself a leader? Didn't you learn anything from the failures you caused here five years ago?" Makarov was referring to the time when Laxus had been banned from FT. Suddenly he grabbed at his heart which was starting to itch.

"Hey, gramps! Are you ok?" Laxus reacted worried. "I've changed from back then, believe me."

"If that was the case then why would you be here alone? Why aren't you with your team?"

Laxus noticed that his grandpa was maybe right.

Suddenly a call came in. "Director Makarov! We have an emergency!" It was Gildarts. "Erza should've already informed you that members of FP are missing." In truth Erza didn't made it to the director in time. "Now we are sensing intense magical activities at two locations. There is the possibility that they use Forbidden Magic."

The news just worsened the director's health. He was unable to answer.

Laxus realized that he had been too careless. He took the phone: "I'm taking care on the problem."

"L-Laxus?" Gildarts could hardly believe it.

-…-

[15.09: a corridor leading to the director's office]

Erza and Eva were standing in front of each other.

"What do you mean by you've 'found me out?" Erza asked with few sweet drops on her face.

"Don't play dump! Ice Hell!" Eva immediately charged a magical wave towards Erza which instantly froze everything it touched. Erza couldn't react in time and was hit.

"If you were Erza you should be able to escape my magic by re-quipping." Eva charged another wave. "Ice Shower!" This time she formed large, sharp icicles and shot them towards Erza.

Instead the person who had pretended to be Erza transformed back into Mira. She used her Take Over magic Satan Soul to break free from the ice and used her wings as protection from the icicles just in time. She then revealed to be unharmed and stared angered at her opponent.

"Not bad!" Eva was amazed.

But Mira changed back into her human form. "Two years ago I swore that I wouldn't use my magic against another person ever again."

"Too bad. Maybe I can make you use your magic: Take Over Vampire Soul!" Eva revealed her true magic, a forbidden magic that would feed on the caster's life. Eva's body changed into that of an adult. On her back grew bat-like wings and her fingernails formed into long black claws. Her skin color changed into a slight grey.

Mira suddenly felt sick from the evil aura surrounding Eva.

"Eva! Stop it right now!" Laxus finally entered the scene.

-…-

[15.09: a place outside the school building from where you have a magnificent view over the town]

Visibly surprised Natsu and Lucy were staring up in the air.

Right above them Jean was standing in the air upside down looking down – well, from his point of view he looked up – on them.

"W-who are you?" Natsu asked.

"I'm Jean from FP. And you must be the salamander from FT." Jean replied. He broke his magic and landed on the ground. "Indeed, you two look all alike."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Natsu asked confused.

"Well, you'll probably find out soon." was the only answer he got from Jean.

'I knew it! He is a member of FP." Lucy thought and started to become nervous. 'I'm sure now. He is the devil I witnessed once rampaging at Liliana. Now it's finally time to get you back.' Lucy was determined to pick up a fight with him.

"Prepare yourself!" she shouted. "It's time for me to take revenge for what you did to my hometown one year ago."

Both, Jean and Natsu weren't prepared for such a reaction from the blond girl.

"Don't know what you're talking about. Who are you anyway?" Jean saw that Lucy was serious but remained calm.

"Hey, Lucy. Are you sure about this? Wasn't it you who told us not to fight them?" Natsu asked but got no answer. Lucy was totally focused on Jean.

Jean noticed that Lucy grabbed at her keys. 'A celestial spirit mage! Then:' "Rule #6: ThouShaltNot speak!" Jean released the spell before Lucy could summon one of her spirits.

When Lucy tried to she suddenly realized that she wasn't able to form any words. 'That can't be! What kind of magic is this?' She grabbed at her throat visibly shocked. The number 6 flashed magically on her forehead.

-…-

At the same time at FP the number 6 flashed on Tenshinhan's right shoulder.

Tenshinhan: "…"

"Someone is using the forbidden magic." Yamchu commented worriedly.

"But who would go that far?" Sophie could only think of one person in question. 'Jean?'

-…-

"Lucy! What's wrong?" Natsu shouted worriedly when he saw her sinking on her knews.

He went to her side. He then turned to Jean. "That was you. What have you done to my friend?" Natsu was enraged and took a fighting stance.

"Please believe me. I didn't want to pick up a fight with you." Jean tried to apologize. "Lisanna wouldn't be happy about …" he actually spoke his thoughts out loud.

"L-li-lisanna?" Natsu's face became white as chalk.

"Oh, looks like you don't have any clue. Then I've already talked too much. See you again soon and then we can finally have our fight, Natsu." Jean went away and left back Natsu and Lucy, who were unable to react.

After a moment Natsu turned to Lucy: "I'm sorry. He caught me off-guard – but that's no excuse." Natsu apologized hating himself for being helpless.

Lucy shook her head smiling with tears in her eyes. 'Don't mind. I'm ok so far.' was what she wanted to say.

"Natsu! Lucy!" Macao finally appeared at the scene. When he saw the mark Lucy's forehead he understood. "We should take her to the doctor."

-…-

[15.09: a corridor leading to the training ground]

A blue-haired woman rushed at Annalis and pulled her to the ground.

Annalis lost her wig in the process.

"Lisanna! It's really you!" Juvia started to cry. She then hugged Lisanna. "Juvia has missed you so much all the time."

"J-juvia." Lisanna was taken by surprise. When she realized the situation she hugged her best friend back. "Juvia." her eyes filled with tears.

Then none of them hold back anymore and they cried out loud.

-…-

[15.09: at the FP air ship]

'Damn you, Mira! How dare you to put sleeping pills in my drink!' Erza thought angered but was still visibly tired.

Passing the ship she noticed a pink-haired boy: "N-natsu? What are you doing here? And where is Lucy?"

Nat turned around: "Huh? Do we know each other? Who is Lucy?"

Erza then realized that he wasn't the Natsu she knew but strangely he responded to the same name.

* * *

><p>I shortened the fight scenes and tried to focus more on the storyline. I must admit it wasn't easy to work with several parallel lines. Additionally I wasn't able to finish the last two passages properly. But I can perfectly use them as bridge to the next chapter.<p>

I'm already planning on a only-fight-passage but I'm not sure yet in which chapter.

next chapter: The curse of ThouShaltNot


	5. Chapter 05: The curse of ThouShaltNot

I didn't plan it when starting this chapter but I included a short recap of the incident two years ago. I find it a very moving scene and will probably add a detailed version in the next chapter.

I'm looking forward to your reviews and would be thankful for any suggestions for improvement.

* * *

><p><em>[15.09: a corridor leading to the training ground]<em>

_A blue-haired woman rushed at Annalis and pulled her to the ground._

_Annalis lost her wig in the process._

_"Lisanna! It's really you!" Juvia started to cry. She then hugged Lisanna. "Juvia has missed you so much all the time."_

_"J-juvia." Lisanna was taken by surprise. When she realized the situation she hugged her best friend back. "Juvia." her eyes filled with tears._

_Then none of them hold back anymore and they cried out loud._

_-…-_

_[15.09: at the FP air ship]_

_'Damn you, Mira! How dare you to put sleeping pills in my drink!' Erza thought angered but was still visibly tired._

_Passing the ship she noticed a pink-haired boy: "N-natsu? What are you doing here? And where is Lucy?"_

_Nat turned around: "Huh? Do we know each other? Who is Lucy?"_

_Erza then realized that he wasn't the Natsu she knew but strangely he responded to the same name._

Chapter 5: The curse of ThouShaltNot

"You aren't Natsu, are you?" Erza asked surprised.

"But of course I'm Natsu. Natsu Dragion." Nat replied. "But my friends use to call me Nat." Nat smiled at Erza. "And what's your name?"

Erza needed a moment before she could answer: "My name is Erza Scarlet. I'm the student representative of FT and in charge of welcoming the visitors of FP."

"Then shouldn't you be in there?" Nat pointed towards the school building.

"That's right. Please excuse me but I have to hurry." Erza went on leaving a confused Nat behind.

-…-

Meanwhile Gray accidently entered the reunion of Juvia and Lisanna without being noticed.

'That's not true! She's still alive? That's a nightmare!' Gray was shocked. His face became white as chalk when he saw the two girls embracing each other from a far distance. He tumbled to the nearest corner where he couldn't be seen. He then sank to the ground into a cowering position and crossed his arms above his head.

He then started to cry silently. 'That's absolutely not true!'

Gray had barely been conscious back then but he would never be able to forget this incident.

_FLASHBACK: TWO YEARS AGO AT FAIRY TAIL_

_Gray lay on the ground severely wounded and slowly regained consciousness. The only person still standing against the monstrous flame bird was Makarov in his giant form. In a last attempt he managed to concentrate enough magic to unleash the Fairy Law. When Gray came back to his senses again he saw a powerless Makarov kneeling on the ground. He looked around noticing the other members of FT beaten: Erza, Natsu, Gildarts, Macao, Cana, Juvia, … He looked again forward to Makarov. Where the monster had just been before there was only a large cloud of dust. When the dust slowly vanished he noticed a figure standing there. It was Lisanna. She was still alive._

_"NOOOO!" he heard her screaming and saw her unleashing her magic flames again. In a split of a second Mira in her demon form charged at her sister and managed to impale her through the chest. Gray fainted again before he could witness the outcome of the event._

_When he woke up few days later he realized that most of the involved members were happy to survive this disaster as well._

_They were told that Lisanna had died in the process._

PRESENT

Although there had always been hints contrary to her death, Gray just wanted to believe that she was dead – at least until now.

-…-

"Juvia always knew that you're fine and would return to FT when the time has come." for some reason Juvia had this unbreakable believe in Lisanna. Her attitude was absolutely contrary to Grays although she had suffered the same experience.

"Juvia is so proud of you that you're finally able to control your magic."

"Y-yeah." Lisanna looked to the side. In truth she was far from being able to control this magic. But at FP she had been able to find another way to prevent a similar catastrophe. She was thinking of the mysterious magic that had been used by Jean just a moment before.

"All members of FP have to gather at the entrance of FT immediately." it was Laxus' voice coming from the loud speakers.

-…-

'This damn memory! Why does it have to return now?' Jean was leaning against a wall cowering. Jean could hardly form clear thoughts because an insane pain in his head. It wasn't his own memory that would make him suffer from time to time.

'Lisanna!' the memory of her smiling at least eased the pain a bit.

He then heard Laxus' announcement and slowly went up again.

-…-

Some minutes later Annalis and Jean entered the hall almost at the same time. Gildarts, Laxus, Erza, Ayumi and Eva were already waiting. Meanwhile Mira took director Makarov to the hospital. Gildarts asked the guests to stay in the waiting room until the investigation on the current events were finished. Laxus promised that he was taking care from now on.

-…-

At the same time Natsu, Lucy and Macao entered the school hospital. Polyushka was the doctor in charge. She immediately recognized the spell that had been casted on Lucy. "A Forbidden Magic. I haven't seen one for the last two years." she mumbled to herself and took Lucy to the back room.

Natsu and Macao were waiting for a while without changing any words.

After thirty minutes Natsu couldn't stand the waiting anymore and knocked at the door.

"What are still doing here?" Polyushka came out furiously. "There's no need for you waiting here. I'll take care from here on." she had a strange attitude towards other people. It was different with her patients.

"B-but how is Lucy now?" Natsu wanted to know.

"She's fine. The spell will break automatically after a certain time. There won't be any negative side effect. What she needs now the most is to rest."

"Can I see her?" Natsu asked.

"Didn't you listen to me? I told you she needs to rest. I gave her a medicament so that she can sleep now until the effect of the magic is over. You can see her later. And now get lost, damn it!"

Before we go, could you please give us some further information about this Forbidden Magic?" Macao intervened.

"It's called the curse of ThouShaltNot. I'm sure you can find more information in the library."

"All right." Macao agreed. He and Natsu left the hospital.

"Natsu-kun, I'll report to the director what's happened. You should take a rest for now as well." Macao proposed.

Natsu just nodded.

They couldn't know that just a moment after their leave, Mira entered the hospital with the stricken Makarov.

-…-

Gildarts started to investigate the recent incidents. He had already interrogated the FP-members and found out that apparently no one had been injured in the process. He needed to find Macao to prove this fact.

They finally met in the corridor towards the director's office.

Macao was visibly shocked and then worried when he heard the news of the director's condition.

"Who could imagine that just three of them would be able to cause such troubles at FT?" Macao was worried about the recent events. "It won't be easy when all members of FP are transferred."

"We'll need stricter regulations and controls upon the usage of Forbidden Magic." Gildarts responded. "There will be another catastrophe if the members of FP would be allowed to use this kind of magic freely."

Macao nodded. "I'll research the magic we've witnessed today."

Gildarts agreed with that. "Then I'll look after the director's condition and ask him how we should deal the members of FP."

Then their ways parted.

-…-

Meanwhile Erza was left as supervision of the representative unit.

"What a mess!" Laxus sighed. "Who could imagine that you idiots would cause that much trouble when left on your own?" he then playfully hit on Annalis' head repeatedly.

"S-sorry. We didn't mean to cause problems." Annalis apologized.

"Well, I did." Eva intervened. "I'll find another chance to fight Mira."

Annalis' eyes widened when she heard that name. "Y-you met Mira?"

"Same goes for me." Jean commented. "I've already promised Natsu to fight with him properly next time."

Annalis' eyes widened again. 'You should have told me that you were going after him.' she whispered to Jean.

'Well, I thought you wanted to hide. Wasn't that the reason for your disguise?' Jean replied.

Annalis frowned at his comment.

"What do you think will happen now, Laxus-sama?" Ayumi questioned. As the student representative she felt responsible for the recent incidents as well.

"No idea. But Gramps won't go easy on us." Laxus answered relaxed. "Well, I guess they have good impression of FP's attitude now." he added jokingly.

"A bit more respect!" Erza demanded angered. "I can assure you that I won't let you do as yu please at FT." she said determined.

"Erza, it has been five years since we met last time and you haven't changed a bit." Laxus commented. "What would FT do without you?"

"I didn't expect a compliment from you. On the contrary I can't say that you haven't changed." Erza replied. "At least it seems to me that FP's methods aren't for nothing." she said sternly so you couldn't really tell how she meant it.

However, Ayumi felt attacked by her remark and was about to counter but Laxus held her back.

Erza then turned over to Annalis: "I think you should stop your masquerade now, Lisanna."

Lisanna first was surprised but then agreed: "Well, you're already the second person to find me out." she took off her wig and the brown contacts.

Erza tried hard to remain calmly.

Jean detected a slight increase in magic activity. He was curious because he didn't know much about the relationship between Lisanna and Erza.

Erza then walked over to Lisanna. She was stopped by Laxus: "What are you intending to do?"

"I just need to talk." was Erza answer. "But I need to talk to her alone."

When Lisanna nodded determined, Laxus let them go.

Erza and Lisanna went out of the entrance hall into a corridor which was apparently empty. When Erza was sure they were far away enough, she stopped in the middle of the corridor and so did Lisanna.

"Erz…" Lisanna proceeded to start the conversation but instead Erza slapped her in the face harshly. Lisanna was more surprised than it did hurt. She felt like returning the slap but hold back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" Erza questioned with tears in her eyes.

"I don't know it myself. Maybe it was wrong to come here." Lisanna saddened. Juvia might be the only person that wanted her back.

"Don't believe that you could just come back. I won't let you get near my friends! You got that?" Erza screamed at Lisanna.

Accidently Natsu went by when he heard the dispute.

* * *

><p>The chapter might end a bit abrupt but I'll need some time to sort the contents for the next chapter: Natsu &amp; Lisanna, Nat &amp; Natsu, Juvia &amp; Lisanna…<p>

I guess the first arc of my story will end with the next chapter. But I already have the second arc in mind.


	6. Chapter 06: Nat & Natsu

The first arc of my story is almost finished but I'll need an extra chapter for a proper transition.

It's a bit shorter than the previous ones. Have fun!

Reviews are welcomed.

* * *

><p><em>"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" Erza questioned with tears in her eyes.<em>

_"I don't know it myself. Maybe it was wrong to come here." Lisanna saddened. Juvia might be the only person that wanted her back._

_"Don't believe that you could just come back. I won't let you get near my friends! You got that?" Erza screamed at Lisanna._

_Accidently Natsu went by when he heard the dispute._

Chapter 6: Nat & Natsu

"What's going on here?" Natsu suddenly appeared from behind the corner.

Lisanna and Erza turned to him simultaneously.

"N-natsu!" Lisanna replied surprised. She didn't plan to run into Natsu so soon – well, at least not without her disguise.

'Shit! So Lucy wasn't able to keep him away.' Erza thought clenching her teeth.

"Who are you?" Natsu asked cold-hearted.

Lisanna shocked at his question. She didn't believe him that he had forgotten her but apparently he had tried to. Tears started flooding out of her eyes. "Natsu." she whimpered covering her moth with both hands.

"Looks like I'm wrong here." Natsu just turned around and left the scene.

"Natsu, wait!" Erza immediately followed him.

Lisanna just stood there frozen with tears running down her cheeks. She then sank to her knees and bent down to the floor.

-…-

Natsu and Erza had already left the building.

Erza hold Natsu's shoulder. "Natsu, are you ok?" Erza was worried about him.

"Let me alone!" he laid into Erza.

She was taken aback at his attitude.

Natsu went away. Erza still followed him.

Natsu turned around to Erza and proceeded to say something.

"I won't leave you alone." she said determined.

Natsu gave up and just moved on.

"Where are you going to go?" Erza asked but didn't receive an answer.

"NATSU!" they heard a scream coming from the building they left behind. Both stopped. Erza turned around but Natsu didn't.

"Don't ignore me! You can't do this to me!" Lisanna had followed them and cried for Natsu.

"Tch! I told her to stay away from us." Erza remarked angered. She then noticed that Natsu started to quiver.

'Lisanna.' he thought with tears in his eyes now. He turned around and slowly started to move back, much to Erza's surprise.

"Lisanna! I can't forget what you did back then!"

"I know! I'm so sorry!" Lisanna cried and moved towards Natsu as well.

Natsu and Lisanna came closer and closer.

"I won't let it happen again." Lisanna promised to Natsu.

"No! **I** won't let it happen again!" Erza suddenly appeared in the air between Natsu and Lisanna. With a rough kick in Lisanna's face she sent her flying several meters in the air.

Jean appeared from nowhere and caught her in the air. Both managed to land on their feet.

"Are you ok?" Jean asked worriedly. Apparently he had been following them all the time.

Lisanna's mouth was bleeding. She started to cry again and fell into his arms. But it wasn't the pain form the kick but the pain from being rejected that made her cry.

"YOU!" Natsu was pointing at Jean. "You attacked Lucy!" Natsu bawled furiously.

"What?" Erza wasn't informed about the incident yet.

"I didn't …" Jean tried to excuse himself but realized that it would be meaningless. " It looks like we should leave here."

"Do you think we would let you escape like this?"

"That's enough!" Laxus and the rest of the team had left the building as well. "It was decided that we have to return to FP immediately."

-…-

'Lisanna.' Mira was running through the corridors with tears in her eyes. She had witnessed the whole scene through a window. Now she was on the way to her sister.

"What are intending to do?" she was suddenly stopped by Juvia. "Do you think it's a good idea for you to meet now? Do you know how Lisanna will react?"

"No." Mira was looking to the side sadly. "But I can't let her leave like this."

"Don't worry. Juvia will take care of her for now."

"Are you going to join them back to FP?" Mira asked surprised.

Juvia just nodded and went on to them instead of Mira.

-…-

Natsu was still standing in Laxus' way.

"It is an order from your director. So get out of our way!"

Natsu didn't react. "This guy attacked Lucy!" he was ready to fight.

"That girl hasn't been harmed. So it was decided that we all can leave." Laxus replied.

"Hey guys! What are you waiting for? I received the order to return to FP." Nat suddenly joined the scene.

Everybody turned to him.

"You!" Natsu pointed at Nat.

"You!" Nat pointed at Natsu.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" they both questioned simultaneously.

"They look exactly alike but they don't know each other?" Eva commented.

"Yeah. When I saw the other guy at first I mistook him for Nat." Ayumi replied. "They look like twins. Maybe they were separated right after their birth."

"Looks like the chaos is perfect now." Laxus sighed.

'So they really don't know each other.' Erza thought.

Nat was then staring at Lisanna unbelievingly but she was looking away ashamed. He couldn't believe it. How could she keep him a secret all the time?

He then remembered the time when he had first met Lisanna:

_FLASHBACK: TWO YEARS AGO AT FALLEN PHOENIX_

_As usual Jean entered the cafeteria just a few minutes before classes would start. He was already awaited by his mates Natsu and Sophie. But this time he was accompanied by a young, white haired girl._

_They walked over to the group: "Moin." he greeted them. "Hey Chan-chan, it's rare to see you with a girl around – well, except your sister." Yamchu teased him appearing from behind._

_Jean blushed at this comment: "Well, this is Lisanna Strauss. From today on she's a new member of FP." He turned to Lisanna: "These are my mates. These big guys behind us are Yamchu and Tenshinhan. The girl over there is my sister, Sophie." _

"_Nice to meet you." Sophie replied._

"_And the guy sitting right in front of us…" he pointed to Natsu._

"_Natsu!" Lisanna suddenly shouted out when she realized the pink-haired boy._

"_Y-yeah?" Natsu was surprised. "Do we know each other?"_

"_Well no, I've just already heard of you from Jean." Lisanna excused herself._

'_Is that so?' Jean thought contemplaiting._

"_Is that so?" Natsu asked. "I hope you've only heard positive stories." he said smiling._

"_N-natsu? Would it be ok if I call you Nat?" Lisanna wanted to know._

_The pink-haired looked at her dumbfounded but then smiled again: "Sure! A cute girl like you may call me however she wants." his smile became even brighter._

_Lisanna blushed at his reaction._

_From that day on everyone would use to call him just Nat._

PRESENT

"You didn't know him before, right?" Nat asked her but didn't get a response. "Answer me, Lisanna!"

"Stop it!" Laxus interfered. "We are returning to FP for now. You can discuss everything later."

"Wait for Juvia!" Juvia came running towards them.

"Juvia?" Erza was surprised.

"Juvia is joining you back to FP. The director has agreed as well."

"Are you serious about this?" Erza asked unbelievingly.

"Of course! Juvia can't let her friend just leave like this after we've finally met again." Juvia then turned to Lisanna with a smile. Lisanna was happy and thankful but couldn't help to cry again.

Laxus signed that they would leave now.

Natsu just stood there. He was overwhelmed by the recent events.

Erza looked after Juvia. How could her attitude towards Lisanna be so different?

"Lisanna!" she called after her. She continued when Lisanna turned around: "Next time you can proof me that you're ready to return to FT. I challenge you to a fight!"

Lisanna waved her tears away: "I'm gladly accepting your challenge! And I won't lose, believe me!" she shouted back at Erza determined.

* * *

><p>It wasn't easy to come up with a title for this chapter. But I think I found a matching one at last.<p>

Lots of tears this time. After the next chapter I'll start the second arc for sure. For this I've planned much more magic and action.

Next chapter: Roots of Order


	7. Chapter 07: Roots of Order

Finally the last chapter of the first arc. I hope I didn't let you wait for too long.

Reviews are welcome.

* * *

><p><em>Natsu just stood there. He was overwhelmed by the recent events.<em>

_Erza looked after Juvia. How could her attitude towards Lisanna be so different?_

"_Lisanna!" She called after her. She continued when Lisanna turned around: "Next time you can proof me that you're ready to return to FT. I challenge you to a fight!"_

_Lisanna waved her tears away: "I'm gladly accepting your challenge! And I won't lose, believe me!" she shouted back at Erza determined._

Chapter 7: Roots of Order

FEW DAYS LATER

After returning from FT, Lisanna and Jean went back to their apartment. Because it was already late that day they wouldn't meet director Aich before the next day. And now they had new guest: Juvia. She was Lisanna's best friend and decided to accompany her back to FP.

Lisanna immediately went into her room and closed the door. She hadn't said a word during their travel back to FP. Not even to Jean, Nat or Juvia. She seemed very depressed. Jean and Juvia were worried.

Jean prepared for leaving the apartment again.

"Jean-san, you're leaving again at this time?" Juvia asked him.

"Yeah, I'm visiting my sister. She's awaiting reports from FT. You could keep an eye on Lisanna here but I doubt she'll open the door the next time. So I suggest you come with me, it won't take long."

Juvia hesitated.

"It's a good chance to introduce you to some of my mates." Jean added.

That was indeed true. During the travel Juvia had been worried about Lisanna and missed the opportunity to get into contact with the members of FP.

"Ok, Juvia is curious to meet the others as well." she finally agreed.

-…-

Jean and Juvia were about to arrive at the apartment of Sophie and Cathy.

"Could Juvia ask you a question?" Juvia asked him suddenly.

"Yeah, sure you can." Jean replied.

The question had been bothering her the whole time and finally she gathered her courage to ask: "What is the relationship between you and Lisanna?" she looked timidly to the ground.

"Uh, well …" Jean blushed. He didn't expect such a question. "We're mates, maybe friends."

"But back at FT you seemed a bit closer than that. It's different from the friendship between Lisanna and Juvia or Lisanna and Natsu back then. And you even share an apartment. Everyone would think of you as a couple."

"N-no, we aren't a couple. I'm sure Lisanna regards me as a big brother and well …" Jean hesitated. "There we are." he pointed to the apartment block they were standing in front of.

"Well, I think we can continue this conversation later." Juvia replied.

They took the lift and arrived at the apartment.

Jean rang the bell and the door soon opened.

"Chan-chan, welcome back!" to Jean's surprise it was Yamchu who opened the door.

"So you're here as well." Jean was visibly surprised to meet his friend who was succeeding him by two heads.

"Yeah, almost the whole gang is here. Only Nat is missing." Yamchu answered. "Please come in."

"We already heard the news from Eva that Laxus has returned." Sophie commented from inside. "We decided to hold a spontaneous reunion party at the bar."

"You're serious? It's already late, you know." Jean argued. "And Lisanna's depressed, she probably won't come with us."

"Then that's just another reason for partying." Cathy added. "We should persuade her as well in order to sheer her up."

Tenshinhan just nodded: "…"

"By the way you didn't introduce your date yet." Yamchu remarked referring to Juvia.

"My name is Juvia. Juvia is a member of FT and a good friend of Lisanna."

Everyone was surprised that she would talk about herself in the third-person form.

Yamchu started to laugh out loud: "Well, then welcome to our gang."

"Juvia, as Lisanna's friend you should take the task persuading her." Eva suggested.

"Ok and I'll inform Laxus-sama then. And we should invite Ayumi, Yuna and Ggio as well." Sophie added. "The rest should organize the party."

So they went off.

-…-

Several minutes later Juvia was back at Lisanna's apartment. She was knocking at her door: "Lisanna, are you awake?" she asked through the still closed door.

"What's the matter, Juvia?"

"Your gang is meeting at the bar. I was tasked to ask you to come as well." Juvia answered.

"I'm not in the mood." Lisanna replied. She still sounded pretty depressed.

"In that case Jean advised me to tell you: 'Just half a beer, just half an hour'. But I have absolutely no idea what he meant." Juvia wondered.

Lisanna couldn't help but to giggle at this comment. Jean would usually use this slogan when he shouldn't overdo the partying. Anyway he would usually overdo it then.

-…-

INSIDE THE BAR

It was already very noisy. Everyone was cheering when Lisanna and Juvia entered the bar.

Jean welcomed them with three beers in his hands. "Here you are." he handed over two beers to the girls. "I've been waiting for you, the rest has already started with the party." he pointed over to a large table where everyone was sitting. Even Laxus was in the middle.

'It's unusual for him to hold back. He must be pretty worried about me.' Lisanna thought referring to Jean.

Half an hour later Jean finished his third beer and meanwhile he had organized the second round tequila so he could keep up with Eva, Yamchu and Laxus.

"Prepare yourself, Yamchu. I organized our song for the karaoke." Jean shouted over the table because Yamchu was sitting at the other end.

"Good work! I'm in best form today." Yamchu replied.

Everyone started to cheer after hearing that. Even Lisanna could laugh again.

"Is that really ok? Aren't you going to meet the director tomorrow?" Juvia asked Lisanna taken aback.

"Well, that's common at FP." Lisanna

Juvia's eyes widened at this comment.

Then Jean and Yamchu went on the stage for their song. Their performance was simply hilarious. Wrong text, wrong melody, strange movements. But nevertheless everyone was cheering. Only Juvia's eyes got wider and wider.

-…-

AT AN UNKNOWN LOCATION

Two shadows were entering a long cave. There was hardly any light so you couldn't recognize anything. But the leading one knew the way.

"I hope we'll be there soon. I can't stand this darkness." the following person complainted.

"Don't worry. We're almost there. It has taken a lot of time to find this place. I won't give up so close to our destination." the leading persons replied.

"Shouldn't I illuminate the way then? We would be much faster this way."

"NO!" the leader intervened. "It's part of the magic protecting this place. Only those who pass through the darkness can reach their destination." he explained.

After about one hour he suddenly stopped. "There we are!"

"Huh? What do you mean? I still can't see anything!"

After a short moment the place that was engulfed into darkness, was suddenly illuminated almost as bright as the daylight outside the cave.

"What the hell is that." a frowning young man with long, blue, wild hair asked referring to an object up in the air that was enlightening the whole place now. The place which was just a long cave before now revealed its true size. The ceiling was about 100 meters in the air. The whole area would provide enough space for a city. Everywhere there were plant-like objects composed of strange glowing balls.

"This is the lacryma that stores the magic of time, Bakura-san." an old man in black cloak and with short, silver hair explained. He was wearing a mask over his left eye.

"Netsrac-sama!" a young man in a white cloak and with short, brown hair suddenly appeared from behind. "I've finished my mission successfully." he told his companions.

"Well done, Albireo-san." Netsrac complimented him. "Did you kill all of the head hunters?"

"Maybe a handful of them are still breathing, but I made sure that won't be able to go after us for the next time."

"Hmph! I would have killed everyone without exception." Bakura commented evil.

"Well, we've already shown too much activity in the public. We should proceed fast now." Netsrac kneeled to the ground and touched it with his right hand. "Um, this will take quite an amount of magic. I'll need at least three life-spans to completely restore the tower."

The earth started to shake when he activated his magic. Slowly a large, black tower appeared from the ground. Netsrac didn't stop before the high end would reach the lacryma. Bakura and Albireo were fascinated at this sight.

After he was finished Netsrac stood up again. "Now, the time has come to bring order into this wicked world!" he shouted out loud rising both hands up in the air.

-…-

BACK AT FALLEN PHOENIX

The party wasn't over yet. Laxus suddenly received a call and had to leave the bar.

"Laxus here. What's the matter?"

He heard some indefinable noises, then a small voice but he couldn't understand it.

"L-laxus." someone was whispering. Laxus recognized him: "Fried? Is it you?"

"Laxus. The guild was destroyed!" Fried began to cry. "It was just one person but we didn't have any chance."

"A-are you ok, at least?" Laxus couldn't believe it.

"With me just six survived the attack: Bixlow, Evergreen, Gary, Janina and Torsten. But Torsten is severly wounded. We need a place to rest. Everything is destroyed."

"Stay where you are. I'm on the way." Laxus ended the call and was about to go when a worried Ayumi left the room.

"What's wrong Laxus-sama?"

"I have to go. There's an important issue I have to take care of. Please tell the others they don't need to worry. I'll be back when the time comes."

In the next moment he was gone leaving Ayumi behind perplexed.

-…-

Meanwhile a drunken Jean had noticed that a certain pink-haired guy was in the bar as well. "Nat, my friend!" he walked over to him.

"Don't call me that anymore. By the way I want to talk to Lisanna."

"Nah. Youshuld giff'er rest four now." Jean suggested. He then remembered slowly the scene at FT when Natsu met with Natsu. "Your talkin bout the osser Natsu, right? Eye thynck it wasn't'er indention to betray yu." Jean tried to defend Lisanna's behavior in the past.

"It's all right." Lisanna suddenly appeared from behind. "I think it's time for me to finally clear things with Nat – eh Natsu, myself." she signalized Jean to leave alone for a moment.

Jean looked after them when leaving. He was sure that Lisanna would be able make friends with Nat again. But this time for real.

When Ayumi entered the bar again she told the others about Laxus' departure. The party soon ended and everyone went back home. Juvia was looking for Lisanna.

"Guess she'still with Nat." Jean suddenly appeared from behind. "I go hom, yu come with me?"

"Is it alright to leave them alone?" Juvia asked.

"Yeah."

-…-

FEW DAYS LATER – A MEETING OF THE MAGIC COUNCIL AT CENTURIA

The directors of both academies, Makarov Dreyar and Samuel Aich, had been appointed to the meeting of the magic council. The fusion of both academies was the main topic this time. Both were accompanied by their most trusted assistants – Gildarts Clive and Ami Mizuno.

Master Purehito, the head of the council had the word: "According to the latest news our enemies, an organization that calls itself Roots of Order, have taken action recently. We had already ordered the head hunter guild Demon Hunter to spy on them. But the result was the destruction of Demon Hunter itself. Apparently they've gotten too close to their plans."

Everyone was shocked at these revelations. Nobody would ever have imagined the instant annihilation of the head hunter guild with more than 50 members.

Purehito passed over to Makarov: "I've already taken action and accommodated the few survivors at FT right after I had been informed of the incident."

"Very well." Purehito commented. "But now our main topic for today: How is the fusion between FT and FP proceeding? We will soon need the combined strength of the next generation in the upcoming conflict."

Makarov frowned. He had been against the idea from the very beginning – at least for this purpose.

"We are working on it." director Aich rose to speak. "We already knew that it wouldn't be that easy. But I'm sure we can handle the task in the next month."

"Well, the whole magic world is counting on you." Purehito finally said and ended the meeting.

* * *

><p>I hope you enjoyed the introductional arc.<p>

Next time there will a longer memory-scene and a short recap of the first arc before I can move on with the storyline.

The second arc is already prepared in its basics. But it could take some time put the pieces together properly.


	8. Chapter 08: New world

From here on starts the second arc of my story. I've used a time skip so that I can proceed faster to the chapters with more action.

At the end of this chapter you already get an overview of the characters that'll take part in the upcoming storyline.

Manga: Fairy Tail

Cross overs: Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater

The story is mainly set in the universe of Fairy Tail, so I didn't rate it as a cross over.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p>Chapter 8: New world<p>

_Most members of FT had already been taken out. The last ones standing were Erza, Gildarts and Makarov himself. They prepared a final attack to end it._

_Suddenly a pink haired boy got in their way: "WAIT! You can't do that! It's still Lisanna, isn't she?"_

"_That thing isn't Lisanna anymore!" Erza shouted at him. "We have to stop it before more people are hurt!"_

_Lisanna had been conscious of everything all the time. Everything she had done and what she would do now. She couldn't stop it. Her mind was caught in an enormous body of flames in the form of a bird – the Phoenix._

_Then it happened again. The monster charged a flaming spear towards Natsu and impaled him from behind. Erza, Gildarts and Makarov witnessed the scene shocked. Natsu was immediately taken out and Erza went to his side._

'_STOP IT! PLEASE!' Lisanna cried out loud in despair. But there was no one who could hear her screams._

_The Phoenix prepared for the next attack. But before, Makarov transformed into a giant and tried to push the monster away. But it didn't move an inch. His hands started to burn and he was forced to retreat._

"_Gildarts, I need some time to prepare my next move." Makarov didn't want to ask him for this favour but there was no other option left. Gildarts nodded determined._

_It started the next attack – a wave of giant flaming feathers was charged towards Makarov._

_Almost simultaneously Erza and Gildarts got in the way. Erza requipped her Flame Empress Armor to increase her resistance against the fire. With combined efforts they managed to dodge the attack._

_A second later Erza's armor scattered and she fell to the ground unconsciously._

"_A pretty fearsome magic." Gildarts remarked. "It instantly drains the energy of every living thing it touches. "Sorry." he turned to Makarov looking out powered. He then lost his consciousness and fell to the ground as well._

_Makarov finally was prepared and took the stance for his final magic: "FAIRY LAW! Activate!" The whole area was engulfed into bright light. The light even passed through the flame body of the Phoenix and finally reached Lisanna's mind._

_It was a warm and comfortable feeling at first. Lisanna felt that she could break free from the flames. She closed her eyes and rose her hands up in the air to welcome the light._

_When the magic of the Phoenix was finally broken the light became warmer, then hot and even hotter. It started to burn Lisanna. She felt an insane pain in every part of her body. It felt like she would completely be burnt to dust._

_There was nothing left but a large cloud of dust. The dust slowly disappeared. Lisanna came back to her senses and saw in her hands that were slightly charred. She then noticed that she was still alive. _

_Makarov was kneeling in front of her out of power: "Impossible!" he growled. He was sure that he was serious enough to kill her. There was only one explanation left: the forbidden magic had saved her life. But if that was the case it would probably not be over yet._

_Lisanna noticed that the magic returned. She felt the magic flames coming out of her hands again. "NOOOO!" she let out a scream of despair._

_Mira regained her consciousness again by the scream of her sister. She looked straight to Lisanna. Lisanna then noticed that Mira was awake. They both stared into each other's eyes. Mira saw the despair in Lisanna's eyes but suddenly her sister started to smile. 'No! You can't demand this from me!' Mira thought with tears filling her eyes. _

_But Lisanna just nodded. She was already engulfed by the flames again._

_Mira knew what she had to do. She used her Take Over Magic and transformed into a demon. Mira closed her eyes and charged towards her sister with insane speed._

_Lisanna was prepared – for the split of a second she managed to break the magic. In the right moment Mira impaled her through the chest. There was blood everywhere._

_Mira transformed back and looked at her dying sister with horror. But Lisanna still smiled at her although blood was running out of her mouth. 'Thank you.' she whispered before she sank to the ground._

_-…-_

_Lisanna awoke in an unknown place. She then noticed that it was the hospital of FT._

"_So you're already awake? Somehow your magic saved your life." doctor Polyushka went to her bed. "It doesn't look like the others would get up so soon again."_

_Lisanna then remembered everything that had happened. It was her who had hurt her friends, mates and teachers. She started to cry and hold her hands over the face._

"_Don't worry. Everyone is still alive and it looks like they will recover from their wounds sooner or later." Polyushka tried to comfort her. "Well, at least form their physical wounds."_

_At this remark there was a slight burning in Lisanna's chest. She then knew that she would have to leave FT and that she probably wouldn't be able to face her friends again._

_-…-_

In the middle of the night Jean suddenly woke up drenched in sweat. His face was white as chalk and he felt like he had to throw up. 'It was just dream. Just a dream.' he tried hard to calm again. He slowly felt better. He then left the bed and went to drink something. In truth he knew that it wasn't a 'dream'.

It had been almost two month since the representative unit of FP had visited the academy of FT. Afterwards life at FP had continued as usual.

But few things had changed:

Lisanna and Nat had become closer as friends. Although Nat had found out of his twin brother he was still be called Nat by everyone. But finally he knew why.

Juvia of FT was the best friend of Lisanna and had accompanied her to FP. She had lived together with Lisanna and Jean in an apartment and had become a friend of Jean as well.

And then there had been that letter.

_FLASHBACK: TWO WEEKS BEFORE_

"_Lisanna, there is a letter for you." Juvia entered the apartment. "It is a letter from FT."_

_Lisanna wasn't sure who would send her a letter from FT and why? She hesitated for a moment._

"_Don't you want to open it?" Jean remarked curiously._

_It was a letter from her sister Mira. She and her brother Elfman invited Lisanna to FT. According to her it was finally time for their meeting. It had taken some time but she finally had gotten the approval from director Makarov. _

'_Mira-nee, Elf-nii.' Lisanna thought. She wasn't sure if she should go. It was a unique opportunity but she felt a bit uneasy. "Juvia, Jean, would you accompany there?"_

'_No way!" Jean immediately answered. "I guess that's a way you have to go yourself."_

"_Juvia agrees with Jean. Juvia will return to FT when the time comes."_

_Lisanna sighed but finally Juvia and Jean were able to convince her to accept the invitation._

PRESENT

The time Juvia was talking about finally arrived. Jean thought of the next day.

The next day everything would change in an instant. The next day was the day when the students of FP should be transferred to FT. Everything was already prepared.

-…-

The gang was the first to arrive at FT: Jean, Juvia, Nat, Sophie, Cathy, Yamchu, Tenhinhan, Eva and Yuna. Juvia was the first to leave the group because she wanted to see her friends again. Sophie, Cathy and Yuna immediately went with her because it was their first visit at FT and they wanted to see as much as possible.

The same went for Tenshinhan. But he wanted to explore the new location on his own. "…" he just nodded to Yamchu and went off. Nat went after to keep an eye on him.

Eva had already disappeared without anyone noticing it. So there were only Jean and Yamchu left.

"I'm not keen on waiting here." Yamchu complained.

"Same goes for me." Jean agreed.

When the group leader, Ami Mizuno, finally left the air ship, there wasn't anybody left …

-…-

Jean and Yamchu were about to enter the building when they heard a common voice. "Jean!"

Before he could react, Lisanna suddenly rushed into him from behind pulling him to the ground. Lisanna wondered why there wasn't any reply.

"H-hey, Lisanna. Nice to see you again." Yamchu greeted her surprised. "I'm glad not being the target of your 'attack'."

Lisanna then noticed that Jean's face was pushed into the ground. So it was impossible for him to say something. She hurried to get up. "S-sorry." she smiled slightly blushing.

"At least it looks like you're fine." Jean got up as well.

Suddenly a huge shadow appeared behind him. "So you're the guy that kept an eye on Lisanna the whole time? A true man!" He gave Jean a pat on the back almost making him to fall to the ground again.

"Well, this is my bother Elfman." Lisanna sighed pointing at the guy who even was a bit taller than Yamchu.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Yamchu." both shook hands almost breaking them each other.

"I see. So you're a true man as well." Elfman commented at Yamchu.

'Looks like the guys of FT are fun as well.' Yamchu thought excited.

-…-

In the meantime Lucy and Wendy got to know Sophie and Cathy. Amongst all members of FT Lucy considered them the least dangerous ones. So it was ok to get close to them. She remembered her first time at FT and how thankful she had been to Natsu to get contact so soon.

Wendy herself had gotten a member of FT just a month before. She had soon found contact to Natsu and Lucy. She was very interested in the other new members.

-…-

Yuna wasn't that lucky and got lost in the labyrinth like building. "Ouch!" She accidently bumped into a big guy with long, black, wild hair and fell to the ground.

"Could you take more attention on the way next time?" he commented harshly.

"S-sorry." she then looked to him and immediately blushed. 'He's cute!' she thought.

The guy then realized that he hadn't seen her before. "Oh. You're new at FT, aren't you? I didn't mean it. Well, my name is Gajeel Redfox. And you're …?" he helped her to get up.

"Thank you. I'm Yuna Akashi of FP."

Gajeel was surprised. From what he had heard of FP he didn't imagine that such a nice girl would be a member.

"W-well, somehow I got lost. Could you please show me the way?" Yuna asked him.

"Sorry but I've an important meeting at the library. But there's a classroom over there and …"

"That's it!" Yuna suddenly burst out interrupting Gajeel. "I mean I was looking for the library as well. Then could go there together." she smiled. She was proud of herself to come up with a lie so fast.

-…-

Director Makarov had appointed a meeting of all teachers and representatives of FT and FP. The main task was the organizing of a new teaching system. The students were grouped into blocks of 30-35 members.

Laxus didn't pay much attention at first. But then Makarov announced the names of the students in block C. He was set up as a responsible teacher of this block.

"The students of block C are:

Ace, Ayumi, Bixlow, Cana, Cathy, Elfman, Eruka, Erza, Eva, Eve, Evergreen, Fried, Gajeel, Gary, Gerard, Ggio, Gray, Hibiki, Janina, Jean, Juvia, Levy, Lisanna, Loki, Lucy, Lyon, Mira, Mizune, Nat, Natsu, Ren, Rudi, Sherry, Siren, Sophie, Tenshinhan, Ultear, Wendy, Yuna, Yamchu."

* * *

><p>I hope I could arouse some interest in the upcoming plot. I can promise that there will be more action.<p>

I have the next two-three chapters already in mind but I don't know the right order yet. So I have to leave the title of the next chapter out.


	9. Chapter 09: Challenge the future I

Finally the next chapter. In my opinion the story takes some interesting turns. Have fun reading.

Thank you for the possitive reviews and for your suggestions. Negative reviews are welcome as well. So I can only improve my writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>Director Makarov had appointed a meeting of all teachers and representatives of FT and FP. The main task was the organizing of a new teaching system. The students were grouped into blocks of 30-35 members. <em>

_Laxus didn't much pay attention at first. But then Makarov announced the names of the students in block C. He was set up as a responsible teacher of this block._

"_The students of block C are: _

_Ace, Ayumi, Bixlow, Cana, Cathy, Elfman, Eruka, Erza, Eva, Eve, Evergreen, Fried, Gajeel, Gary, Gerard, Ggio, Gray, Hibiki, Janina, Jean, Juvia, Levy, Lisanna, Loki, Lucy, Lyon, Mirajane, Mizune, Nat, Natsu, Ren, Rudi, Sherry, Siren, Sophie, Tenshinhan, Ultia, Wendy, Yuna, Yamchu."_

Chapter 9: Challenge the future - Part I

Elfman was chatting with Yamchu while Lisanna and Jean were following them.

"Hey Yamchu, you look like a pretty strong fighter. I would like to test your power in the training ground."

Yamchu was surprised at that invitation. "I would gladly accept your challenge." he replied after a moment.

"Is fighting everything you guys have in mind?" Lisanna complained.

"Just don't overdo it, Yamchu." Jean commented.

"Sure I won't." Yamchu assured.

"Don't underestimate Elf-nii." Lisanna remarked. "We've trained several times during the last weeks. He's pretty strong."

"Hahaha! She has beaten me every time." Elfman laughed out loud.

'Did you use the secret technique?' Jean asked Lisanna whispering. He was worried about something.

'Of course I didn't.' Lisanna replied huffily. 'We didn't fight seriously, it was just training.'

Tenshinhan who apparently had gotten lost suddenly crossed their path.

"Oi Tenshinhan!" Yamchu called his friend. "You wanna have some action?"

Tenshinhan was visibly relieved to find them.

"This is Elfman, Lisanna's brother." Yamchu pointed to his new buddy. "He wants to show us the training ground and we want to do some sparing there."

"I would be glad if you joined us. You look even stronger than Yamchu." Elfman added.

"…" Tenshinhan nodded smiling.

"I hope you have fun, guys." Jean commented. "I would like to explore more of FT on my own. Lisanna, would you look after them for the time."

"You can count on me." she replied. "But make sure not to cause any troubles again."

Jean nodded and went off.

Lisanna looked after him worried. She had an awkward feeling.

-…-

Meanwhile Cathy had left the group of Lucy, Wendy and Sophie. They had met a cute girl with wild blue hair who had been on the way to the library for an important meeting. Cathy accompanied her because she was interested in books as well.

At the library they met Gajeel who was already waiting and his companion Yuna.

"Yuna. What are you doing here?" Cathy was surprised.

"Cathy. I could have guessed that you would end up in the library sooner or later." Yuna replied.

"So you know each other?" Levy asked.

"Fellows of FP, I guess." Gajeel said. He then turned to Levy: "Why did you take that much time?"

"Sorry. I bumped into Lu-chan and the others on my way. There I met Cathy." she pointed to her companion.

"Is she the one you wanted to meet so badly?" Yuna wanted to know from Gajeel.

Gajeel blushed. "Well, we have to study here. It's not like we are…" he didn't finish the sentence.

"Please excuse us, we have to go on." Levy blushed as well.

"It can't be helped." Yuna sighed. She was disappointed. It was obvious that Gajeel and Levy were closer to each other than they pretended to be. But she wouldn't give up yet.

"Well, would you like to accompany me then? I want to study some books to improve my magic." Cathy suggested to her mate. 'And you have the chance to stay a bit closer to your new interest." she added whispering.

Yuna nodded blushing.

-…-

After the meeting of the teachers Laxus gathered Ayumi, Mira, Eva, Gerard and Ultear.

"It's still a secret but we're planning on a contest between the members of FT and FP. All students will have to group into teams of five members. It's supposed to test out your powers and to get the members of both academies together. So mixed teams are appreciated." Laxus explained to the group.

Ayumi counted the present persons. "So you want us to build one team, then?" she combined.

"That's correct."

"That's fine with me and Gerard." Ultear commented. "But Mira don't fight anymore and we don't know the others." she pointed to Ayumi and Eva.

"That doesn't matter." Laxus replied. "I consider you five the strongest amongst all students of FT and FP. You are the strongest team. And I think Mira was able to regain the will to fight again."

Mira was in thoughts. She remembered seeing Lisanna and Elfman during their training. This was a perfect chance to test out her sister herself. "This competition is a unique chance for me. Of course I will participate." she said determined.

The others smiled satisfied at her comment.

"Then this is the birth of the number one team: MAGIC STARS." Laxus announced. He didn't he reveal the fact that he had bet with Gildarts.

-…-

Erza was looking for Natsu and the others. She was thinking about Laxus' propose – in truth she had been the first to be asked by him to join 'his' number one team. But she had refused after hearing that Gerard and Ultear should participate as well. She loved Gerard but didn't know if he had the same feelings towards her because he would usually hang around with Ultear. She didn't like her and couldn't stand the thought that they could be together.

She then saw a certain pink haired boy. "Hey, Natsu!" she called him.

"Yeah?" he turned around surprised.

"Oh! It's you. I'm sorry that I mistook you again." she realized that he was Nat of FP and the long time unkonown twin brother of Natsu.

"Then you're looking for Natsu? I'm looking for someone as well. Maybe we can go on together?" Nat proposed smiling.

Erza smiled at his comment. His aura was very similar to Natsu's.

-…-

Lucy, Wendy and Sophie were walking along the floor chatting. Charle, the eksheed and best friend of Wendy was following without taking part in the conversation. She looked to the side and noticed Jean standing alone and staring out of a window. She suddenly felt awkward. A vision popped up in her mind.

_VISION_

_Jean was battling with Natsu. Both started for the last attack. But suddenly Natsu lost control of his body caused by an injury he received during their fight. Jean was about to finish him with his sword when Lisanna entered the scene out of nowhere. _

"_STOP IT!" she shouted at Jean jumping right between the opponents. With spread arms she shielded the weakened Natsu._

_Jean hesitated a short moment but then he pierced Lisanna with his sword through the chest impaling Natsu as well._

REALITY

Charle was shocked at this precognition. Her mates didn't notice her strange behavior because they were still busy chatting.

But Jean did. He slowly walked over to her. "What's wrong?"

"Y-you!" Charle stammered. "You're going to k-kill the pink haired guy and a white haired girl! I saw it!" she didn't know Natsu's name because she was new and hadn't met Lisanna yet.

Jean's eyes widened at her comments. He then frowned: "My, my! You are able to predict the future?" he got closer to Charle. "That's quite a bothersome ability." He then pointed at Charle with both forefingers put together: "Presence Negation!" a magic aura surrounded both of them.

Charle was scared of what would happen now. She turned to the others but they didn't realize anything of the happening because she was still following them although she was standing right in front of Jean at the same time. 'How is that possible? What kind of magic is this?' she thought shocked.

"I negated our presence to make sure that nobody can interfere. What you see over there is just your faked presence. My magic can't be broken as long nobody interacts with your double." Jean revealed looking down at Charle with a fearsome view. He then pointed at Charle again: "Time Negation!"

Charle noticed that she couldn't move an inch anymore. She wasn't able the say anything because of her fear.

"Unfortunately I can't use the curse of ThouShaltNot because I would be found out then. So please stand still and don't make any noise. I won't hurt you." he was now staring right into Charle's eyes. "You should be more careful with your predictions. They might come true. But don't worry, for now I'll erase that special vision from your mind." he put his fingers at both sides of her head. "Memory Negation!"

-…-

Lucy, Wendy and Sophie suddenly heard a crashing noise behind them and turned around. They saw Charle and Jean kneeling down on the ground.

"Ouch! What the hell happened?" Charle wondered.

"I dunno. Looks like we accidently bumped into each other." Jean replied holding his head with his right hand.

"Charle! Are you ok?" Wendy went over to her worried. 'Huh? Wasn't she right behind us the whole time?' she wondered.

"I guess I'm ok." Charle was a bit worried because she couldn't remember anything what happened between when she saw Jean and then kneeled on the ground. But she didn't want to bother Wendy.

'That guy again!' Lucy thought in disgust. 'I hope he didn't do any harm to Charle. I'll never forget our last confrontation.'

"Chan-ni!" Sophie shouted at her brother. "You're as plump as always. You should pay more attention next time." she lectured him.

"Guess you're right." he replied trying hard to set up a smile. Right now his head was causing him a lot of pain. "Sorry." he then went off.

"You two are siblings?" Lucy asked her surprised.

"Well, he's my adoptive brother. But with the time we used to like each other. Until now we've been close fellows at FP. I'm sorry that he caused trouble the last time."

"Well, I'm fine. But it seems that he was hurt." Charle remarked.

"I think I should follow him to make sure that nothing happens." Sophie went off as well.

''Nothing happens'? What the hell does she mean by this? I've a bad feeling.' Lucy thought worried.

-…-

Jean's headache eased a bit. He then activated his right eye and detected the location of Natsu.

'Looks like I should try and challenge my future then!' he thought to himself with a devilish grin.

* * *

><p>I hope it was the right decision to put this part of my story already in this chapter.<p>

I would have liked to include Natsu, Gray and Juvia as well but this will have to wait until the next chapters.

The mentioned competition will be the main part of following chapters. I already made up some teams myself but I would like to get some suggestions from you. All partcipants are mentioned at the beginning of this chapter.

Next chapter: Challenge the future - Part II


	10. Chapter 10: Challenge the future II

I indeed managed to finish two chapters today and I finally included an extended fighting scene. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>CHARLE'S VISION<em>

_Jean was battling with Natsu._

_-…-_

"_STOP IT!" she shouted at Jean jumping right between the opponents. With spread arms she shielded the weakened Natsu._

_Jean hesitated a short moment but then he pierced Lisanna with his sword through the chest impaling Natsu as well._

_-…-_

_REALITY_

"_You should be more careful with your predictions. They might come true. But don't worry, for now I'll erase that special vision from your mind." Jean put his fingers at both sides of Charle's head. "Memory Negation!"_

_-…-_

_Jean's headache eased a bit. He then activated his right eye and detected the location of Natsu._

'_Looks like I should try and challenge my future then!' he thought to himself with a devilish grin._

Chapter 10: Challenge the future – Part II

-…-

Jean was on his way to Natsu. He couldn't help but to think about Charle's vision all the time. With his magic Memory Negation he was able to erase it out of her mind but in reality it was just transferred into his own mind. Additionally he had to suffer from terrible headaches every time the foreign memory popped up again.

'I've only one chance: I have to confront my destiny head on!' with this unbreakable believe in his mind he went on.

"Chan-nii, wait!" Sophie who was following him finally caught up and called after him. "I need to talk to you."

"Sophie." Jean stopped and turned around surprised. "What do you want?" he asked her bothered.

"I felt it. Something happened between you and Charle." Sophie confronted him. "Wendy told me about her prediction ability. Did she have a vision of the future concerning you?"

"You're as sharp as usual." Jean sighed because she managed to find it out so soon. "I won't run away. You know I know only one way to live on – moving forward." Jean commented.

"And that's why you're planning to challenge the future you saw straight on? What are you going to do now?" she wanted to know. "You can tell me. If you're really serious I won't stop you."

"You CAN'T stop me." Jean replied. "I'm going to battle Natsu Dragneel. Only one of us will be able to survive – it doesn't matter who. As long as no one interferes this is the only way to save Lisanna's life." Jean then went on leaving his sister behind.

"He is really serious. What the hell can I do now? I can't …" Sophie sank to her knees depressed.

-…-

Erza and Nat had met again on the campus. Even though they searched for different persons – Nat was looking for Tenshinhan and Erza was looking for Natsu – they decided to go on together.

Erza already had an idea where she could find Natsu: "I'm going to search on at the training hall. Natsu would often be there sparing with Gray."

"That's it!" Nat burst out. "Tenshinhan is a pretty skilled fighter. There's a high possibility that he ended up in the training hall as well. Let's go there!"

Erza smiled at Nat's behavior. Somehow he resembled more and more the Natsu of FT. Well it was fact that they were twin-brothers but they didn't know each other for their whole life. If the students of FP hadn't been transferred to FT they probably would never have gotten the chance to know each other. The last thought made her sad.

"Would you like to join our team?" she suddenly wanted to know. "Well, you might not know Lucy and Gray yet but they are very friendly. And you would be closer to your brother."

Nat was surprised at this unexpected invitation. "Well, thank you, but …" he paused for a moment. "Actually there is certain person I'm very interested in. If it were possible I would prefer to team up with her." he blushed when he said it.

Erza was surprised. She didn't know this kind of character from her Natsu. "I see."

-…-

Natsu was on his way to the training ground as well. He had an appointment with Gray. They would often do some sparing and recently they used to meet there regularly. He suddenly noticed a certain known shadow standing in the corner.

"It's time for our destined battle." Jean remarked.

"You!" Natsu shouted at him. "You're that guy who attacked Lucy last time!"

"That blond girl? I went easy on her." Jean replied with an evil grin.

"I challenge you to a fight!" Natsu was enraged now.

-…-

Meanwhile Erza and Nat came close to the training hall. Erza heard battling noises and assumed that Natsu and Gray were already training. But when they entered the hall they saw a fight between Elfman and Yamchu. Lisanna and Tenshinhan were already witnessing the fight.

"Hey Lisanna, Tenshinhan!" Nat walked over to them. They turned around. "I was looking for you all the time." he complained with his mate.

"…" Tenshinhan signed that he was sorry.

"What's going on here?" Nat wanted to know.

"This is my brother, Elfman." Lisanna pointed at the guy whose right arm suddenly transformed. "He asked Yamchu for a training fight."

"Well, I'm glad that I've found you. But Erza was looking for my brother Natsu. Apparently he's not here."

"Erza?" Lisanna was taken aback. She then noticed her standing in a corner at the entrance of the hall. During the last weeks their relationship didn't improve. She wasn't able to get into contact with Natsu either. "Then Natsu is missing? If Jean was here he could find him fast."

"Talking of Jean, where is he? I didn't see him for a while." Nat noted.

'Natsu and Jean are missing at the same time?' Lisanna thought. 'Maybe something bad has happened?' she suddenly got an awkward feeling and went out of the hall.

"Lisanna, where are you going?" Nat called after her but she was already gone.

Erza and Gray went in. "We have a problem!" Erza said. "Natsu is missing."

"We wanted to train here but Natsu didn't show up." Gray added. "I've already looked for him but nobody has seen him for the last hour."

"Would you help us looking for him?" Erza asked Nat.

"Of course." Nat agreed. He then turned to Tenshinhan: "You should stay here. The others don't need to worry. We will take of everything."

"…" Tenshinhan just nodded. Then the three went off.

-…-

According to Jean's condition he and Natsu went to a place where no one would interfere with their fight. It was a desert mountain area close to FT that was only known to Natsu. No person would ever come here and it was far enough from the academy so that no one could notice their fight.

Natsu and Jean were standing opposite to each other.

"Are you ready? You made Lucy cry and I will make you pay for that!" Natsu said determined.

"I don't _want_ to fight you. This fight has been predicted by destiny." Jean countered determined. "And I already know the outcome of our confrontation." Jean noted with an evil grin.

Enraged by these words Natsu prepared for his first attack and so did Jean. Both started running in each other's direction.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu's right hand was now engulfed into flames and he charged a punch towards Jean.

"Fire Attribute: Heat Fist!" Jean's right hand was now glowing in a dark red and he charged a punch towards Natsu.

Both attacks crashed into each other. A strong magical wave was released. Natsu noticed suddenly that the flames around his fist went out in the moment both attacks touched each other. The magic on Jean's hand was broken as well.

"Too bad! I have already mastered the Fire Attribute." Jean explained the reason to the confused Natsu: "This is my Attribute Adoption Magic. When I use the same elemental attribute as my opponent I can reduce the damage or even nullify the effect of the attack, depending on its level." He then prepared for his next attack: "I can use attributes contrary to my opponent's for my attacks too: "Ice Attribute: Winter Breeze!" he blew a pretty cold wave of air right into Natsu's face.

Natsu felt his head slightly freezing. He was distracted, so that he couldn't realize that Jean was already preparing for his next attack. And this time it would be a critical one.

Jean concentrated a large amount of magic between his two hands. He then pushed them against Natsu's stomach: "Earth Attribute: Gravity Impact!" A heavy blast sent Natsu flying away.

Natsu fell to the ground on his stomach. He still felt a lot of pain from the attack. Nevertheless he forced himself to get up again. He suddenly felt awkward and a flood of blood came out of his mouth. He tried hard and finally managed to stand on his feet again.

"Fantastic!" Jean seemed to compliment his opponent: "I'm well assured that I just caught you off-guard. Otherwise you surely would have been able to dodge my attacks. But to get up again after receiving my full power is truly amazing."

"You're talking too much!" Natsu was far from being finished. "Fire Dragons Roar!" out of mouth he charged a great wave of fire towards his opponent.

Jean wasn't able to avoid the attack in time and put his hands in front of him for protection. "Fire Attribute: Heat Shield!" he was already engulfed in the Natsu's attack but after casting this spell most of the flames seemed to avoid him. When the attack was over Jean was only slightly damaged.

"I knew that you would be able to dodge my attack." Natsu suddenly appeared in the air next to Jean. "Fire Dragon's Claw!" he charged a kick right into Jean's face and followed with a punch: "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" He immediately concentrated magic between his hands and put them towards his opponent: "Fire Dragons Brilliant Flame!"

"Uagh!" Jean was hit by an enormous flame explosion and was sent flying away.

Natsu saw him landing on the ground on his stomach and immediately charged forward for another attack.

Jean tried hard to get up again as fast as possible. On midway he noticed Natsu was already attacking again. "Earth Attribute: Earth Shaking!" he hit with his right fist on the ground and caused a little earth quake.

"Wah!" In the result the Natsu lost contact to the ground and started to stumble. Unfortunately he fell right into Jean's next attack who was finally back on his feet.

"Ice Attribute: Freezing Fist!" Jean punched Natsu straight into his stomach and slightly froze his body so he couldn't avoid a second strike with the other hand that landed in Natsu's face.

Natsu fell to the back but this time he managed to counter by kicking Jean in the face.

Both recovered from each other attacks almost at same time. They concentrated their left magic for a critical attack.

"Secret Art: Crimson Lotus." Natsu prepared for his final attack by putting both hands to the left behind his body. He formed them into open fists.

"Secret Art: Two Elements Attribute." Jean prepared his final attack by putting both hands to the right behind his body. He formed fists only pointing with his fore fingers and middle fingers.

Natsu: "Exploding Flame Blade!" he charged blade-shaped flames in a spiral formation towards his opponent.

Jean: "Arctic Storm Blade!" he charged blade-shaped waves made of ice and wind in a spiral formation towards his opponent.

They were too close so that both attacks hit them head on. Both fell to the back critical hit. The lasting power of both attacks caused a large explosion which sent them flying into opposite directions.

-…-

Lisanna was still looking for Natsu and Jean. "Where could they be?" she talked to herself. Now she was sure that something bad must have happened. Suddenly she saw an explosion far away in the mountain area. 'Could it be?'

"Take Over Animal Soul: Bird!" Lisanna transformed into a bird and flew off.

* * *

><p>Originally I planned to include the outcome of the battle between Natsu and Jean in this chapter. But then it would get too long.<p>

I hope you're curious about it.

Next chapter: Challenge the future - Part III


	11. Chapter 11: Challenge the future III

Finally the climax of the fight between Natsu and Jean. I hope the outcome is suitable in your opinion as well.

Reviews are welcome.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>CHARLE'S VISION<em>

_Jean was battling with Natsu._

_-…-_

"_STOP IT!" she shouted at Jean jumping right between the opponents. With spread arms she shielded the weakened Natsu._

_Jean hesitated a short moment but then he pierced Lisanna with his sword through the chest impaling Natsu as well._

_-…-_

_REALITY_

_Lisanna was still looking for Natsu and Jean. "Where could they be?" she talked to herself. Now she was sure that something bad must have happened. Suddenly she saw the mountain area. 'Could it be?'_

"_Take Over Animal Soul: Bird!" Lisanna transformed into a bird and flew off._

Chapter 11: Challenge the future – Part III

[Several minutes later]

Erza, Gray and Nat went out of the academy building. They were looking for Natsu who was missing for a while now. Suddenly Juvia crossed their path.

"Juvia!" Erza called her.

"Ah! There you are! Juvia was looking for you." the blue haired replied. "Juvia saw Lisanna transforming into a bird and flying outside the campus." she explained worried.

"Lisanna? I guess she was looking for Natsu as well." Nat assumed. "Maybe she has already an idea were Natsu could be."

"Have you seen in what direction she was flying?" Erza wanted to know. 'I won't allow her to get close to my friends as long as she doesn't prove me to be able to control her magic!' she thought determined.

"Juvia thinks she was heading towards that direction." Juvia pointed to a desert mountain area close to FT.

"We should hurry!" Gray commented. "But how are supposed to keep up with her?"

"Leave this to me!" Nat suggested. "I'll see what I can do with my magic." He put both hands to the right behind his body and concentrated his magic. Magic waves surrounded his hands – similar to when Erza uses her magic. He then put his hands forward and the waves now engulfed the place in front of him. He made sure that no one was standing too close to that place as the engulfed area became larger. The waves disappeared and an off-road vehicle with two seats and without a roof appeared in front everyone.

Everyone was speechless.

"It resembles my re-quip magic but I've never heard that something of this size can be stored in a pocket dimension." Erza noted amazed.

"Well, my re-quip magic is called 'The Driver'. Because of the size of my 'Fireball' [- the name of his car -] I can only store three more objects in my pocket dimension." Nat explained. "So, let's go!"

"How can we drive this?" Erza was the first to take a seat. "I don't see any SE-plug."

"My vehicles can only be used by me. My second magic is called 'Power Link Magic'." Nat's right hand transformed into a lucent cylinder and he fused it with a part of the car below the steering wheel.

Juvia and Gray took their position on the back of the car. With a sudden extreme speed they went off.

-…-

After the attacks of Natsu and Jean had collided the whole area had been engulfed into a large cloud of dust. Jean slowly regained his consciousness. The dust slowly settled in front of him. He tried hard to at least get on his knees again. He suddenly noticed a shadow standing in front of him. Then Natsu emerged out of the dust cloud. 'That can't be!' he thought grinding his teeth.

An wounded and exhausted Natsu was standing in front of Jean. "Looks like I've won." he gasped and looked at his opponent who wasn't even able to get on his feet again.

"I admit defeat. Kill me!" Jean demanded from Natsu looking to the ground.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Natsu was confused. "I don't intend killing you. Our battle made me realize that our reasons for fighting aren't that different, you know." he was smiling at Jean. "You want to protect someone precious to you as well, don't you?" he then reached his hand to help his opponent up.

Jean was at first affected by these words. But then he realized that it wasn't the outcome of fight he had originally planned. "If you really think that way …" he suddenly jumped back on his feet. "… then our battle isn't finished yet!" his wounds started bleeding stronger by his sudden movement.

"H-hey! You're severely wounded and you shouldn't have any magic left." Natsu wanted to stop him from resuming the fight.

"Well, the same goes for you and I have other possibilities." Jean remarked. "Presence Negation Break!" he suddenly wielded a katana in his right hand. He then ran towards Natsu and charged a horizontal slash at him.

In the last moment Natsu avoided the attack by jumping to the back in the air. This way he was able to increase the distance between him and his opponent. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why do you want to fight to the death so badly?" Natsu was mad again. He created flames in his hands demonstrating that he had still some magic left.

"I have no other choice." Jean noted without explaining any further. "You had your chance to finish me off. I've still some magic left for my final attack. You won't be able to avoid it." he pointed forward with his left forefinger and middle finger. "Negation Magic: Room Link!" he created an almost invisible magical sphere with a diameter of about ten centimeter in front of his fingers. A similar sphere appeared next to Natsu's left shoulder. "Room Cutter!" Jean slashed through the air cutting the sphere in front of him with only the edge of his sword.

"Aargh!" Natsu's left shoulder was cut in exact the same moment. "W-what the hell was that?" Natsu was holding his wounded shoulder.

Jean then created nine spheres and again nine spheres appeared close around Natsu's body. "Massacre!" With fast movements Jean cut every sphere like he did before.

"Uaargh!" This time Natsu was cut at several parts all over his body and sank to his knees.

'It's over.' Jean thought satisfied. He then felt a dizzy spell and noticed that he was completely out of magic. 'I should finish it soon.' he thought to himself. Suddenly he saw Natsu was getting up again. 'This is impossible!'

Natsu managed to stand up again. His whole body was engulfed into flames now. He was completely in rage and charged towards Jean. He attacked him with his burning right fist.

'Shit!' Jean was hardly able to deflect the attack with his sword.

Both opponents attacked simultaneously. Natsu hit Jean with a left kick in the face. Before falling to the ground Jean managed to cut him at the chest. Both combatants fell into opposite directions.

Then they went up again at the same time. Both started for the last attack. But suddenly Natsu lost control of his body caused by an injury he received during their fight.

Jean was charging towards Natsu but he slowed down his movements. 'What the hell am I doing here? I'm totally obsessed with the idea of killing him.' Jean realized shocked and finally stopped. He then let his sword drop.

Natsu was able to recover and charged at Jean again. He didn't notice yet that Jean had cancelled his attack.

Lisanna entered the scene out of nowhere. "STOP IT!" she shouted jumping right between the opponents. With spread arms she shielded Jean.

"Lisanna!" Natsu was surprised but managed to stop his attack in the last moment.

'Lisanna!' Jean thought taken aback. 'She is protecting ME?' he was completely out of power and his mind was distorted. "Sorry." he stated with a smile and fell to the ground unconsciously.

"Jean!" Lisanna immediately went down to him.

"Wait, Lisanna! You should stay away from him!" Natsu tried to warn her. "He is …"

"Evil? Dangerous?" Lisanna interrupted him. "That's not true. He might be different sometimes but I know that he isn't a bad guy. What ever happened between you I'm sure you two had your reasons." Lisanna took care for Jean.

"Lisanna…" Natsu then suddenly noticed an off-road car arriving at the scene.

Lisanna turned to Erza and Gray who left the car first and then she turned to Natsu again: "Do you have the slightest idea how it feels when people consider you to be evil or dangerous and try to avoid you?" Lisanna had tears in her eyes. "This shouldn't have happened; he should have talked to me."

At her words Natsu felt a bit guilty as well.

"Natsu, are you ok?" Erza shouted over to him. She was shocked seeing Natsu being pretty beaten up.

"What the hell happened to you?" Gray couldn't believe that someone would be able to injure Natsu that much.

"I think I'm ok so far." Natsu said although no one would believe him seeing the wounds all over his body.

"We need to bring Natsu and Jean to the hospital as soon as possible!" Lisanna turned to Nat.

"You can leave this to me." Nat replied. "Unfortunately I won't be able to take everyone back to the academy. There is at most place for one more person."

"Juvia thinks that Lisanna should accompany you." Juvia suggested.

"I don't agree with Juvia." Erza intervened. "You will be faster if you only take Natsu and the other one with you." she said to Nat.

"That's ok." Lisanna agreed. "If I fly back to the academy I will almost be able to keep up with you."

"And we three have to walk the whole way back then? Why has the flame-brain always to cause that much trouble?" Gray mocked Natsu trying to ease the situation.

"What did you say?" Natsu was about to get of the car again.

"Stay in there!" Erza prevented Natsu from moving too much. "You're pretty injured. You should make sure to rest for now."

"Ok, we leave now." Nat started his car after everything was prepared.

Lisanna transformed into a bird again and followed them.

* * *

><p>After this intermezzo I'll carry on with the main plot in the next chapter.<p>

Additionally I'm planning on an extra chapter where I can give you further explinations about the magic of non-FT-characters. But I'll only publish it if you are really interested in, so please review about this issue.


	12. Chapter 12: 2323

Sorry, it took some time to update this chapter. The scene between Lisanna and Lucy wasn't easy. No fight this time but the next one comes soon.

Reviews are welcome.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p>Chapter 12: [23.23]<p>

[23.23]

Elfman returned home late that evening. He and his sister Mira lived in a detached house outside the campus of FT. On the ground floor there was a well known bar owned by Mira. Amongst the students of FT, Erza was a regular guest. For the last two weeks Lisanna, the little sister of Elfman of Mira, had been a welcome guest at their home.

"Elfman! Lisanna! Where have you been that long?" Mira was already worried why they returned that late. "Huh? Where is Lisanna? Wasn't she with you today? And what the hell happened to you."

Elfman looked pretty beaten up. "Well, I had some interesting sparring-matches with two interesting guys of FP, Yamchu and Tenshinhan." he explained. "Lisanna watched us at first but then she suddenly went off. Apparently something happened between Natsu and Jean. Both had to be taken to the hospital."

Mira hadn't met with Jean yet but she knew from Lisanna's stories. "Oh. I hope they will be ok. Maybe Lisanna is still at the hospital. I should look after her."

"I don't think so." Elfman replied. "When I went past the hospital it had already been closed and all callers had been sent home. You shouldn't worry too much. I'm sure, Lisanna will be back soon."

"Hm, maybe you're right."

-…-

[23.23]

Lucy walked through the corridors of FT. According to the house rules the students had actually to follow the dusk-to-dawn curfew after 23.00 o' clock but the few teacher patrols couldn't control every place. And Lucy knew a place where no one would bother her. She wasn't in the mood for sleep now because she was worried about Natsu.

_FLASHBACK: Few hours ago_

_Lucy was still talking with Wendy and Charle. Suddenly she heard a common voice calling her._

"_Lucy! Something really, really bad has happened!" it was a visibly worried Happy who came flying towards her fast. "Natsu, he was taken to the hospital."_

"_W-what? What happened to him?" Lucy wanted to know._

"_I don't know the details." Happy replied. "Apparently he was fighting some guy of FP and was heavily injured in the process. But I have no idea how he is now. We should hurry and look after him."_

_Lucy was shocked. "Ok, let's go." she then turned to Wendy and Charle. "Please excuse me." then she and Happy went off._

"_We should follow them." Wendy suggested to Charle. "Natsu was the first one to welcome me at FT." she sounded pretty worried._

_Charle just nodded and they went off as well._

PRESENT

After few minutes Lucy arrived at a balcony. She checked up that nobody was there. She put out a secret key she had received from Natsu a few weeks ago – the day when the representative unit of FP had visited FT for the first time (chapter 3) – and wanted to open the door. The blond haired girl was surprised when she noticed that it was already open. 'How can that be? The door was closed every time I went here.' Lucy thought but nevertheless she went out to the balcony. "H-hello? Is there someone?" she wanted to find out leaning over the railing but she didn't receive any answer. After hesitating a moment she used her whip and climbed down to a platform right below the balcony. Down there she suddenly noticed the figure of girl sitting there. Her hair gleamed silver in the moonlight.

-…-

[23.23]

Lisanna was sitting on a platform outside the academy. From there she had a magnificent view over the town that was located in a valley close to FT. There was a dark forest on the left and a wide plain on the right of the town. Although it was night she could assume the shapes in the moonlight. And in the center there were still a few lights marking the town. It was parted by a large river. The whole scenery was the exact opposite to the desert mountain area on the other side of the academy.

This place was only known to few people. Before she had been banned from FT, she had often used to visit this location with Natsu. Both of them had been close friends back then. Tears filled her eyes when she remembered this time. Two years ago everything had been over. Afterwards she had found new friends at FP but she had never been able to forget her friends she had to leave here.

But her return to FT apparently just made things more complicated. With disgust she remembered the fight between Natsu and Jean which resulted in Natsu being heavily injured and Jean losing his consciousness.

She suddenly heard a voice from above. "H-hello? Is there someone?" It was a girl's voice. Lisanna didn't answer because she didn't want to be found out. She couldn't imagine what happened next: The girl climbed down from the balcony above her.

Lisanna and Lucy were both astonished seeing each other at the secret place. Actually it was their first direct meeting.

-…-

[23.23]

"What a day." Gildarts mentioned to Makarov exhausted. "At last we have been able to find accommodations for all FP-members. But it wasn't that easy. Because we are short of free rooms we had to group students of both academies in the same apartments."

"Well I hope they get along with each other." the director noted. Then he sighed: "At least I hope they reduce their quarrels to a minimum." he then realized that there was one issue left. "By the way, what is the latest information of the fight between our Natsu and Jean of FP?"

"Both are medically attended at our hospital. Natsu's injuries will heal in a week or two. But Jean's condition is uncertain. Dr. Polyushka wasn't able to tell when he'll wake up again." Gildarts answered.

"Well, we should leave it at that for now. We've other tasks to take charge of." Makarov noted.

-…-

[23.23]

Laxus was about to get ready for bed. It was a tiring day – he was supporting the FT-staff accommodating the new members. 'At least I have a room for myself.' he thought seeing the apartment with a double bed in the middle. Suddenly the door opened. Ayumi and Eva entered the room equipped with bedclothes and mattresses. "Don't tell me you're going to sleep here?" Laxus couldn't believe it.

"Well, they told us that there's no other room left, Laxus-sama." Ayumi told him. She actually didn't mind to share the same apartment with him and at least it didn't bother Eva as well.

Laxus sighed. "Then get ready for bed fast!" he ordered them harshly. "I need to get some sleep."

-…-

[23.23]

Sophie and Cathy shared the same apartment with Juvia. Actually Juvia had hoped that Lisanna would move in with her but she kept on living at her sister's place for the moment. But Juvia didn't mind the two girls because she knew them well from FP.

The girls couldn't sleep this night. They were chatting about the recent events – the main topic was the fight between Natsu and Jean. They were pretty worried about Jean. According to Dr. Polyushka's information he wouldn't be able to wake up soon. Most of all Sophie accused herself of not being able to stop him but her friends did their best to comfort her.

-…-

[23.23]

Yuna managed to be accommodated in a room with Levy and Lucy. She wanted to stay as close as possible to Levy because it was her best chance to get close to Gajeel as well. Parallel she could watch over the girl, she considered as her love rival.

Levy was worried because Lucy didn't return. She had heard about the fight between Natsu and a member of FP but she didn't know any details. She could imagine that Lucy would be pretty worried about Natsu. Her thoughts didn't let her sleep this night.

Yuna apparently was able to fall asleep soon.

-…-

[23.23]

Since Wendy entered FT a month ago she and Charle shared an apartment with Erza. But this time Erza didn't return in time. The dusk-to-dawn curfew had already started. Wendy was worried. She blinked over to Charle to assure that she was already asleep.

Actually Charle wasn't asleep yet. "What are you going to do?" the eksheed suddenly asked Wendy when she noticed her being about to leave the room. "You know that you're not allowed to go out at this time."

"That's right, but I want to look after Erza. She has never been late until now." Wendy replied sheepishly.

Charle sighed. "But don't think I would let you go alone."

-…-

"M-mira? Is that you?" Lucy asked the white haired girl taken aback when she arrived down on the platform. But she soon realized that she had mistaken her.

After hesitating a moment the girl replied: "Well, no. I'm Lisanna. Mira-nee is my older sister." At first she was taken aback as well because she didn't anticipate that someone would actually climb down from the balcony above her. She then recognized the blond girl. "You must be Lucy. Well, why don't you take a seat." she pointed to the place next to her smiling at her guest.

Lucy was surprised. 'She knows my name?' she thought but finally decided to accept the invitation. "You're right. But did we already meet each other?" Lucy wanted to know.

"Not directly." Lisanna answered. "But I saw you at the hospital today and accidentally heard some of the talking between you, Erza and Gray."

Lucy thought that it was strange that she didn't notice Lisanna at the hospital that day. "Sorry, I didn't realize that you were there as well."

"Well, you don't need to apologize for that." Lisanna replied friendly. "May I ask you a question?" after a nod from Lucy she changed the topic: "Do you often come to this place?" Lisanna wanted to know.

Lucy wasn't sure how to answer this question. "Well, Natsu showed it to me some weeks ago." It was the day when FP's representative unit had visited FT. Lucy remembered that day with mixed feelings.

"You're a close friend of Natsu, aren't you?" Lisanna suddenly asked.

"Um, yeah." Lucy assumed that Lisanna being Mira's sister knew him in the past. She noticed Lisanna saddening and wanted to ask what happened between them. But suddenly a message popped up in front of her: "Please meet me at the Lycanoo-forest, by Natsu."

-…-

Levy was still awake and Lucy hadn't returned yet. Suddenly a message popped up: "Please meet at the Lycanoo-forest, by Gajeel." At first Levy wondered about the strange request. The forest was huge but she could only think of one place in question. She got ready and left the room.

Yuna, who was just pretending to sleep, noticed Levy was leaving. 'I'm sure she's going to meet with Gajeel. I should follow her.' she got up and prepared to leave as well. Suddenly a similar message popped up in front of her. 'What the hell is going on here?'

-…-

"Gentlemen, everything is prepared for our operation." Hibiki told Eve and Ren. The three of them were watching a map-like screen with three moving signals. "I've hidden a spy-trap in the messages so that we can follow their traces. Get ready!"

Suddenly a good-looking guy with red-brown haired appeared behind them. His heart-shaped fringe was very remarkable. "You guys are fun. I would like to attend your operation." It was Rudy, one of the strongest students of FP and an exemplar of a lady-killer. He shared the apartment of FT's trimen.

"You wanna participate in the competition as well?" Ren asked him.

"No, I'm just going to watch you. Maybe I can still learn something from you…" he remarked with a satisfied grin.

* * *

><p>The next chapter will take some time. I've come up with an interesting fighting style but it won't be easy to describe it properly.<p>

Next chapter: Dating competition


	13. Chapter 13: Dating Competition

Actually I ended up with another subplot, sorry about that. The main story has yet to wait. To make things worse I've already the content of future plots in mind and have to try hard to concentrate on the current storyline, but I'll do my best.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p>"<em>Gentlemen, everything is prepared for our operation." Hibiki told Eve and Ren. …<em>

_Suddenly a good-looking guy with red-brown hair appeared behind them. His heart-shaped fringe was very remarkable. "You guys are fun. I would like to attend your operation." It was Rudy, one of the strongest students of FP and an exemplar of a lady-killer. He shared the apartment of FT's trimen._

"_You wanna participate in the competition as well?" Ren asked him._

"_No, I'm just going to watch you. Maybe I can learn something from you…" he remarked with a satisfied grin._

Chapter 13: Dating competition

Lucy had received an unexpected message from Natsu. The content was _'Please meet me at the Lycanoo-forest'_. It was the huge and dark forest that reached from the gates of FT down into the valley to the left of the town called Undina. Ordinary people would avoid going there. But the students of FT knew that the forest's inhabitants would usually avoid contact with humans. That counted for Lucy as well. She was determined to meet Natsu there.

"But I thought Natsu would still be at the hospital?" Lisanna who was still accompanying Lucy was worried. "How is it possible that he wants to meet you there?"

"He probably escaped from the hospital." Lucy assumed. "That would be typical for him. And it would mean that he's fine again."

"Yeah…" Lisanna was in thoughts. Maybe be Lucy was right but nevertheless she had an awkward feeling.

"One moment…" Lucy suddenly stopped. "Are you intending to follow me?" she laid into Lisanna. "I mean he wanted to meet me – not you." even Lucy herself shocked a bit at her harsh words.

"N-no, that's not it…" Lisanna excused herself taken aback. She hesitated a moment feeling hurt. But then she continued: "Do you think I would let you go into that scary forest alone? And what if something happens to you?"

"Lisanna…" Lucy was moved by her words. "Well, then let's go together." she agreed with a smile.

-…-

Levy went through the hallways of FT. She had received a similar message but the sender had apparently been Gajeel in her case. 'Why the hell does he want to meet me in the forest?' she wondered. She didn't know that someone watched her.

-...-

Wendy, who was looking for Erza, instead saw Levy passing a crosscut in front of her. Levy was in a hurry so she didn't notice her. 'What is Levy doing here that time?' Wendy wondered. "Maybe she knows where Erza is? We should follow her." Wendy suggested.

"You wait here!" Charle suddenly stopped her. "It would be better if I follow her. I can better move without attracting attention." before Charle could realize her proposition they saw Yuna passing the same way as Levy had done before. "Huh? What the hell is going on here?"

-…-

Lisanna and Lucy finally reached the forest. "How are we supposed to find Natsu in there?" Lisanna wanted to know.

Lucy opened the message. "Look, here's a map of the forest enclosed. If we follow it we should be able to find him without any problem." Lucy was certain.

'Well, I hope you're right.' Lisanna thought as both girls entered the forest.

-…-

Meanwhile Levy reached the forest as well. But her map guided her to another entrance.

Yuna who had followed Levy instead of following her map – it was displaying yet another way into the forest – was finally able to catch up with her. "Levy, wait!" she called after the blue-haired a bit exhausted.

Levy turned around surprised. "Yuna! What are you doing here? Did you follow me?"

"You mustn't go in there!" Yuna tried to stop Levy.

"What do you mean? Are you going to interfere with me and Gajeel." an angry Levy wanted to know. "I knew it since we met the first time!" she revealed. "You're interested in Gajeel, aren't you?"

"Well, that's actually not the reason why I followed you." Yuna replied. "It's a trap!"

"A trap?" Levy was confused. "I don't believe you!" she then headed towards the forest again and went in.

-…-

Hibiki noticed the signals popping up on his screen. "It worked! They are here." he noted to Eve, Ren and Rudy. But then he noticed that something was wrong. "Huh? There are four signals?"

"But didn't you send only three messages?" Ren asked.

"Can you identify the third one?" Eve wanted to know.

"The signals are Lucy, Levy, Yuna and fourth one is … Lisanna." Hibiki explained.

"Lisanna? The little sister of Mira?" Eve was astonished. "What the hell does she do here?"

'Lisanna is here?" Rudy thought. 'Well, this turn in events makes the whole thing even more interesting for me." he grinned satisfied.

"Apparently she entered the forest together with Lucy." Hibiki replied. "And there's another problem: Levy and Yuna entered the forest together as well."

"Hm, that's complicating the competition." Ren commented. "I guess that doesn't change our rules? Each of us has the chance to get a date with only one of the girls and who succeeds first wins the competition."

"Yeah, and the winner is served by the losers during his date." Eve added. "I'm going to make the first move. If I'm able to separate Levy and Yuna, I'll certainly be the first one to get a date." he then started towards the signal of Levy on his map.

"What's up with you two?" Rudy suddenly took part in the conversation. "Shouldn't you go as well?" he was interested to know how the remaining trimen would deal with these problems.

"Well, I'll leave the task to Eve." Ren noted. He was thinking up a plan and then continued: "If he's really able to separate them, I just need to find a suitable place to ambush Yuna." he then went off as well.

"Unfortunately I've absolutely no idea how I should proceed." Hibiki sighed. "Looks like my chances are small."

"Well, how about I help you." Rudy suggested. "I've already come up with a plan how to separate Lucy and Lisanna. You can make your move, while I'll deal with Lisanna."

Hibiki hesitated a moment. He wasn't sure if he could really trust the new one but then he nodded. Then Rudy went off.

-…-

Wendy and Charle hadn't been able to keep up with Levy and Yuna. They had unfortunately hesitated too long. Wendy wondered if they had left the building and wanted to follow them outside.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Charle argued. "I can't imagine that Erza-san is out there as well. At first we should find her and report what happened." she suggested.

"Probably you're right." Wendy finally agreed. "But where could she be at that time?"

"Well, I only have one place in mind." Charle was pointing at the way leading to the training ground.

-…-

Eve finally found Levy and Yuna. He was able to hide so that the two girls couldn't notice him. Yuna was still following Levy trying to stop her. Eve took advantage of a moment when both girls didn't pay enough attention and shot a snowball towards Yuna to distract her. Accidently it hit the back of Levy's head.

Levy suddenly stopped and turned around. "How do you dare to attack me?" she furiously shouted at Yuna.

"Huh?" Yuna was confused. "But I didn't …" she turned around but couldn't detect the intruder.

"Do you take me for a fool? There isn't anybody here beside us and something hit me at the head. I know that it was some kind of magic and it came from your direction." she took a fighting stance. "I won't let you get close to Gajeel." she said determined.

"Are you going to fight me?" Yuna seemed to welcome the challenge. 'That's perfect! I should be able to knock her out with my magic. Then I can take care of these bastards who set up this trap.' Yuna grabbed at her belt that was hidden under her shirt. She revealed her holster and took out a desert eagle MK XIX with a silver gun barrel.

Meanwhile Levy formed the word FIRE in the air with her right hand and charged a flame attack against Yuna.

Yuna wasn't ready to avoid the attack. But luckily she had already activated her second magic – the silver eye – coloring her left pupil silver almost vanishing. Within a second this magic allowed her to detect a stone next to her, where she could take cover from the attack. After it was over she came out of her hideout and aimed at Levy.

Levy moved to the right in order to avoid being hit by the bullets but the silver eye allowed Yuna to shoot at the very location where Levy was heading. Luckily Levy had secretly prepared the script GUARD and managed to release this spell in time. The bullets would have hit if she hadn't.

Eve was still hiding observing the battle. 'That didn't go as planned. I wanted them to separate, not to fight.' he sighed. 'Should I stop the battle?'

-…-

Meanwhile Lisanna and Lucy ran into Rudy.

"You!" Lisanna shouted surprised at him. "To be true, I didn't suspect you behind this ominous message."

"Who the hell is he?" Lucy wanted to know.

"I should introduce myself to this cute lady." he was pointing at Lucy making her blush. "My name is Rudy, the strongest and most beautiful mage of FP." He appeared right in front of Lucy very fast and took her left hand trying to kiss it. But Lisanna got in his way. "… and actually I'm not the mastermind behind this operation." he added.

"He is indeed a very capable mage and very popular amongst the students of FP." Lisanna noted. "But you shouldn't get too close to him. He has the bad manner trying to attract any beautiful girl crossing his path. I don't like him."

"It's very sad that you are still disapproving my efforts winning your heart, Lisanna." Rudy was dancing around the girls making the weirdest moves. "How many times I had to try but now my chance has finally come." he remarked confidently.

"So it was just a set up and the message from Natsu was a fake?" Lucy stood still looking to the ground and began to shiver.

"Lucy, you should leave now." Lisanna proposed. "I can handle him myself." she was determined to fight Rudy if she had to.

"Hell, no!" Lucy suddenly burst out. "I'll make him pay dearly for tricking me. Let's fight together!"

Lisanna was surprised at first but then she nodded with a smile.

"But there is one condition!" Rudy intervened raising his right forefinger pointing at the girls. "If I defeat you both, you will go on a date with me, Lisanna." With his last words he was pointing at Lisanna.

The girls hesitated a moment. "There is no way you can defeat us!" Lucy declared determined and Lisanna nodded as well.

"Fine." Rudy grinned satisfied. With his left leg he stepped on a certain area in front of him. "Dancing Seal: Battle-Dance-Floor!" Suddenly a large magical seal appeared right below Lisanna and Lucy trapping them. "Now, you have to fight against each other until only one of you is still standing. This is your only chance to escape my magic."

'Shit, I didn't notice that he was already creating the seal while dancing around us.' Lisanna thought frustrated.

"What shall we do now?" Lucy was trying to get out but there was an invisible barrier around them.

"I'm sorry Lucy but I can't let you face him alone." Lisanna transformed into her tigress-mode. "You should forfeit, I don't want to hurt you."

Lucy couldn't believe what she heard. "Are you serious? I was the one receiving the message and I have to find out the meaning behind this. Actually you are the one that shouldn't be here." Lucy grabbed at the keys at her belt.

Both girls were prepared to fight. 'It works!' Rudy thought satisfied.

* * *

><p>I finally decided to introduce Lucy as an important character of the story. Until now she mostly used to be around when Natsu was. I hope I'll manage to create a proper basis for the future interaction between her and Lisanna.<p>

Special Note: The names of the locations have deeper meanings I'll come back to in future chapters. Until now I've mentioned the Lycanoo-forest and the town Undina.

Next chapter: Lisanna and Lucy


	14. Chapter 14: Lisanna and Lucy

I finally managed to finish the next chapter. It wasn't easy because it includes a lot of fighting scenes. I hope you enjoy them.

Sorry in advance for the Taurus-scene at the beginning. I hope it's at least a little bit funny ...

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p>"<em>Dancing Seal: Battle-Dance-Floor!" Suddenly a large magical seal appeared right below Lisanna and Lucy trapping them. <em>

-…-

"_I'm sorry Lucy but I can't let you face him alone." Lisanna transformed into her tigress-mode. "You should forfeit, I don't want to hurt you."_

_Lucy couldn't believe what she heard. "Are you serious? I was the one receiving the message and I have to find out the meaning behind this. Actually you are the one that shouldn't be here." Lucy grabbed at the keys at her belt._

_Both girls were prepared to fight. 'It works!' Rudy thought satisfied._

Chapter 14: Lisanna and Lucy

Lucy took a golden key: "Open the gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!"

"Mooh!" the upright walking bull carrying a giant axe appeared in front of Lucy. "Lucy-san, your ti…" "Just focus on the opponent in front of you!" Lucy shouted at him being furious and embarrassed at the same time before he could end his usual comment . "All right!" he then turned to Lisanna and charged at her wielding the axe in both hands.

Lisanna in her tiger-bikini was prepared for the attack. Taurus' eyes suddenly shaped into hearts. "Wow! That's not bad either!" He suddenly burst out and stopped attacking. He then turned back to Lucy and then again to Lisanna who was confused and then again to Lucy. "Woah! I can't decide whose brea…" Lucy made him vanish again by closing the gate before the bull was able to end the sentence.

'Shit, that wasn't the best idea.' Lucy thought sighing to herself.

Lisanna calmed from her confusion and took the chance to attack. She charged with her right claw at Lucy who was able to avoid the attack in the last moment by jumping to the side. Lisanna proceeded to attack again.

Lucy took another key: "Scorpio!" The man with the with the scorpion tail appeared. He immediately realized the situation and attacked Lisanna with his tail.

Lisanna transformed her left hand into a giant crab claw and was able to dodge the attack by catching the tail.

Scorpio continued: "Sand Buster!"

"Kyaah!" Lisanna was blown away by his sand storm. The whole area around her was engulfed into a huge cloud of dust. The cloud disappeared and revealed a adamantine turtle shell lying on the ground. She spread out her head, arms and legs that still were in the tigress mode and went up four-legged. She then jumped towards Scorpio: "Diamond-Shell-Tackle!" Lisanna hid her head, arms and legs in the shell which started spinning in the air.

"Arghh!" Scorpio was hit at his forehead and disappeared. "Scorpio!" Lucy shouted shocked.

Lisanna transformed back into a human and stood up again. Both opponents were standing in front of each other exhaustedly gasping a bit.

'I'm running out of spirits.' Lucy thought. 'I can't summon Aquarius without any water around.' She then took out her whip. "You still want to go on?" she asked Lisanna a bit threateningly.

"Do you really think you can beat me that way?" Lisanna provokingly questioned.

Lucy whipped towards Lisanna's face. _'SLASH!'_ She apparently hit Lisanna but then suddenly noticed that her whip was stuck.

Lisanna was able to catch the weapon with her mouth that she had transformed into a parrot beak. She then grabbed it with her hands and dragged at it forcing Lucy to stumble towards her. With her right fist Lisanna hit Lucy in the stomach.

"Gaah!" Lucy fell to the ground unconscious. Then the magical barrier vanished.

'_Clap! Clap! Clap!' _Rudy sarcastically applauded Lisanna for winning the fight. "Well done, Lisanna. But you should give up now. You're already out of magic." he grinned. "In this state you won't be able to beat as well."

"You bastard!" Lisanna frowned. She was ready to fight on despite having hardly any power left.

"Oh?" Rudy was surprised. "Then we should change the location." he disappeared between the trees behind him.

'I'm sorry.' Lisanna looked at Lucy with regret and then followed him.

-…-

Levy and Yuna were still battling against each other.

Eve who had been watching the whole fight, finally decided to stop them and left his hideout. At the very same time Ren appeared at the scene as well.

The two girls turned to them. "You?" Levy was surprised. "What are you two doing here?"

"You know them?" Yuna wanted to know. "Apparently they are the ones behind this trap."

"I'm Eve of the trimen." he introduced himself. "We're truly sorry. We didn't plan this turn in events."

"I'm Ren of the trimen." he introduced himself but then ignored them coldly.

Suddenly the four noticed some threatening snarls coming from behind the trees. A group of six upright walking wolfs appeared.

"Lycanoo's!" Eve mentioned shocked. "What are they doing here? I thought they usually avoid humans?"

"Shit! Apparently they have been attracted by us using too much magic." Levy explained.

-…-

Lucy was lying on her back. "Uh." she slowly regained her consciousness again. Opening her eyes she saw Hibiki, who was leaning over her, right in the eyes.

"I'm glad you're awake." he smiled at her.

"Hibiki!" she noted surprised and sat upright. "Where are Lisanna and this other guy?"

"You mean Rudy? They went in that direction." Hibiki pointed at a direction leading deep into the forest.

Lucy suddenly remembered something Lisanna had said to her before they had entered the forest: _'Do you think I would let you go into that scary forest alone? And what if something happens to you?'_

"I'm sorry. This whole competition was a stupid idea." Hibiki apologized and helped Lucy to get up again.

"Compe…?" Lucy wondered for a short moment but then she decided what was more important in the moment. "Well, you can explain everything to me later. I have to go after them!" she left in the direction Hibiki had pointed at.

"Lucy, wait…" he wasn't able to stop her.

-…-

In the meantime Lisanna was facing Rudy. The deal was that she would have to go on a date with him if she lost the battle. During the fight with Lucy she had already used all of her magic up, so she wasn't able to transform anymore. Fortunately back at FP Lisanna had trained some physical techniques as well and was focusing her power for the next attack.

Rudy saw through her intention: "You're trying to get me with close-quarters fighting? But you're already trapped in my magic again." with his right foot he stepped on a certain area next to him. "Dancing Seal: Battle-Dance-Judgment!" A large magical seal appeared on the ground under both of them. "If you fail, you'll get it back twice." he smiled sarcastically.

Nevertheless Lisanna charged at him fast. But before he could react she suddenly stopped her movement in front of him and pointed with two fingers at his forehead: "Rule #4: ThouShaltNot see!"

-…-

At the very same time in the apartment of Juvia, Sophie and Cathy: Everyone was sleeping. But suddenly Sophie woke up because the number 4 was flashing magically on her forehead. 'My curse?' she thought appalled.

"Huh? What is it?" Cathy woke up as well and wanted to know.

"Someone is using the forbidden magic." Sophie explained. "But it isn't Jean. I can feel that he's still unconsciously lying in the hospital." She then prepared for leaving the room. "I have to find out what the matter is. Maybe someone is in troubles."

"I'm going with you." Cathy agreed.

Then Juvia woke up as well. "Uh. Where are you two going at this time?"

"It's an emergency. We've no time for explanations." Cathy told her.

"Please, wait a moment." Juvia stopped them. "Juvia is going with you as well."

"Ok, then please inform the persons in charge." Sophie suggested.

-…-

By cursing him Lisanna managed to take Rudy's eyesight away. 'That's my chance!' she thought and proceeded to attack him again.

"Shit! You just pretended to be out of magic. I had no idea that you have still had something like this up your sleeve." Rudy resented himself being tricked so simply.

Lisanna tried to hit him with her right fist.

But Rudy was still able to avoid the attack in a dancing motion. He then started to spin around his own body axis faster and faster. In this way he moved to the backside of Lisanna in the blink of a moment. "Pirouette Kick!" he stopped his spinning movement and used the drive to kick Lisanna in the back.

"Kyaahhh!" she was sent flying and landed on her stomach.

Rudy heard her landing on the ground. "What a bad performance." Rudy noted. "You'll get some demerits for this."

Lisanna managed to stand up slowly. 'Shit, I've totally forgotten that his Battle-Dance-Magic is based on hearing the rhythm of a fight.' Then three digits (TCI: technique; choreography; image) appeared magically above her head: '6.3'; '6.8'; '6.5'. "Oh, no!" Lisanna whined.

Similar digits appeared above Rudy's head: '9.5'; '9.6'; '9.7'. He couldn't see them. "Hm, I guess I've got the better judgment. That means…"

Suddenly a lightning like magical power appeared from nowhere hitting Lisanna. "Kyahh!" she sank to her knees completely exhausted. She then noticed Rudy was walking over to her. 'It's over!' she thought.

"It looks like you have lost." Rudy noted.

"You're wrong!" a well-known voice commented from behind the trees. Suddenly Lucy appeared at the scene. "I'm still standing!"

"What? You?" Rudy couldn't believe it.

"Keheh." Lisanna smirked slightly. "Did you really think I would hit her seriously?"

"Open the gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!" she summoned Taurus again. The bull immediately attacked Rudy. Lucy went over to Lisanna. "Are you ok?" She entrusted Taurus to win the fight and focused on the white-haired girl instead.

"Well, I can't say that I'm alright but nevertheless I thank you for rescuing me." she replied a bit teary.

"Save it for later." Lucy intervened. "I didn't forget that you beat me."

"MOOHH!" they suddenly noticed that Taurus had already lost and disappeared again.

"That wasn't that easy." a slightly damaged Rudy walked in their direction. "Even together you won't be able to beat me." he was ready to take on both girls.

"He's tough!" Lucy realized. "I'm almost out of magic as well."

"We'll lose if the fight lasts any longer." Lisanna agreed. "We need a way to finish him with one strike."

"Actually I know a magic that would be suitable." Lucy revealed. "But I need some time to focus on my magic power. And it looks like he's going to attack again soon."

Rudy charged at them.

"Leave it to me!" Lisanna noted to Lucy. "You have 30 seconds!" she charged at Rudy and dodged his first kick.

"Are you kidding me?" Rudy taunted Lisanna and launched a second kick into her stomach.

"Lisanna!" Lucy cried appalled.

"DO IT!" Lisanna demanded receiving one hit after the other.

"Ok!" Lucy finally decided to trust Lisanna." She closed her eyes and went in a state of trance.

Lisanna was already going down. She fell to the ground.

"30 seconds?" Rudy was amused at her original intention. He then noticed that something was wrong with Lucy. "What's with her? Her battling rhythm has completely changed." he was a bit amazed by the high concentration of magic he felt around Lucy. "However, I'll beat her before she can do anything."

"You're wrong. Since your seal is still activated, you've to wait for the Dance-Battle-Judgment, don't you?" Lisanna mentioned with weak smile. "I've succeeded."

"Darn!" Rudy cussed.

Lucy then started the incantation:

"SURVEY THE HEAVEN, OPEN THE HEAVEN … ALL THE STARS, FAR AND WIDE …"

Each three digits appeared again above Lisanna and Rudy. Lisanna clearly lost in points and was hit by a magical strike.

"SHOW ME THY APPEARANCE … WITH SUCH SHINE."

"Ha! I'm still in time!" Rudy then immediately charged towards Lucy. Suddenly he noticed that he couldn't move any further because something was holding him back at his right foot.

"O TETRABIBLOS …"

Rudy was hold back by the Lisanna who had used her last bit of magic to transform her right arm into that of a kraken.

"I'M THE RULER OF THE STARS … ASPECT BECAME COMPLETE …"

Rudy broke free but he was already surrounded by Lucy's magic. "What the hell is that?" Countless orbs of starlight were floating and dancing around him.

"OPEN THY MALEVOLENT GATE. O 88 STARS OF THE HEAVEN …"

Lucy finally opened her eyes again: "SHINE!"

* * *

><p>A fitting end for the chapter, isn't it?<p>

Note: I quoted the incantation from fairytail. wikia. com/wiki/Urano_Metria

Next chapter: Lycanoo invasion (and maybe Extra 3: New magic arts: Battle-Dance-Magic, Curse of ThouShaltNot)


	15. Chapter 15: Lycanoo invasion

Sorry I didn't update for a long time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>"O TETRABIBLOS …"<em>

_Rudy was hold back by the Lisanna who had used her last bit of magic to transform her right arm into that of a kraken._

_"I'M THE RULER OF THE STARS … ASPECT BECAME COMPLETE …"_

_Rudy broke free but he was already surrounded by Lucy's magic. "What the hell is that?" Countless orbs of starlight were floating and dancing around him._

_"OPEN THY MALEVOLENT GATE. O 88 STARS OF THE HEAVEN …"_

_Lucy finally opened her eyes again: "SHINE!"_

Chapter 15: Lycanoo invasion

Lucy unleashed Urano Metria. Her opponent was surrounded by a cosmos like sphere. The starlights were illuminating even more.

"What an awesome magic." Lisanna remarked amazed.

"Guaaahhhh!" Rudy was hit by the ultimate power of the stars. He was about to fall to the ground but managed to stand again. "D-do you really think this would be enough to deal with me?" he furiously stared at Lucy.

Lucy and Lisanna looked at him shocked. "This c-can't be." Lucy stammered.

Rudy was about to attack her but then he noticed that three digits appeared above her head. "Don't tell that you've entered my magical seal." he looked above his head and then over to Lucy again and noticed shocked that her Battle-Dance-Judgment was much better than his own. This time he was the one being hit by the magical strike and finally he fell to the ground unconsciously.

"You made it!" Lisanna who was still lying on the ground out of power, congratulated Lucy who sank to her knees as well because of overusing her magic. Both girls were visibly relieved and they decided to rest for the moment.

-…-

[FT: Training grounds]

"Ice Make: Shield!" Gray created a huge of wall of ice for his protection.

But in her Purgatory Armor Erza could easily break through it. She then charged at Gray but what she hit was just a dummy of him.

Gray who had hidden between the pieces of the shattered wall suddenly appeared in the air right above her: "Ice Make: Calibur!" he formed a giant sword and with both hands he swung it towards Erza who was standing beneath him.

Erza equipped a giant mace that matched Gray's sword in size. She swung it in the air towards Gray. Both attacks clashed in the air releasing a magic shockwave. Erza focused all her strength and was able to push him back up in the air.

When Gray landed on the ground again Erza requipped her usual Heart Kreuz Armor again. "It looks like a draw. We should end our training for today." she suggested gasping a bit.

Gray let his sword disappear as well. "Well, it wasn't really a draw. I attacked from the clearly more advantageous position but couldn't break through your defense." He was more exhausted than Erza. The two of them had been training for the whole night.

Erza then noticed Wendy and Charle who had been watching the fight for a while now but hadn't found the courage to step in. "Wendy, Charle! What are you two doing here?" she wanted to know.

"We-well, …" Wendy was still amazed by the fight she had witnessed and wasn't able to answer properly.

"We have been worried because you didn't return to our accommodation this night." Charle took the word instead of Wendy.

Erza checked the time. "Oh, it's already that late?"

"Sorry, we didn't pay any attention during the training." Gray added.

"By the way, have you seen Levy recently?" Wendy wanted to know.

"No, we haven't." Gray answered. "Why do you want to know?"

"When we were looking for you, we saw her walking through the corridors." Wendy explained. "Apparently she was in a hurry." she added.

"What? I'll immediately check on this matter." Erza declared.

-…-

Sophie had found out that somebody had used the Curse of ThouShaltNot, a forbidden magic she was linked to as well. She and Cathy were about to check several locations of FT while Juvia was on the way to inform the persons in charge.

"This building is far too big." Cathy complained. "This way we won't be able to find something out in time."

"We don't need to check the whole building." Sophie replied. "We just need to concentrate on the few persons who are able to cast the Curse."

"And who would come into consideration?" Cathy wanted to know.

"Well, besides me there are only nine persons who know this magic: Jean, Lisanna, Nat, Laxus, Ayumi, Eva, Yamchu, Tenshinhan and Ggio." Sophie explained. "Since everyone is already linked to me, I can use the portable sensors I gave them to verify their location." she put two of her left fingers on the middle of her chest. Almost invisible magical streams spread out in every direction.

"I don't really get it but it sounds amazing." Cathy stated looking a bit confused.

"Hm, everyone except Lisanna is in the academy area." Sophie found out.

"That's certainly because she stays at her sister's home outside campus." Cathy assumed pointing to the direction where Mira and Elfman lived according her information.

"But it's strange." Sophie intervened. "Her signal is coming from the other direction." she pointed in another direction. It was the direction where the forest was located. "That's our best hint. We should check it up."

"What are you two doing outside your rooms at this time?" it was a female voice coming from the other side of the corridor. Erza and Gray were approaching Sophie and Cathy. Wendy and Charle had already been sent back to their room.

Sophie and Cathy explained the situation. Erza quickly concluded that Levy being missing was connected somehow to the incident. "Maybe others are involved as well." Erza stated worried. The group headed towards the entrance hall.

-…-

The responsible staff consisting of Gildarts Clive and Masato Sanjoin of FP had already been alarmed by Juvia and were preparing for their operation.

"According to our detectors there wasn't any forbidden magic used inside the academy area." Gildarts explained.

"That means that the incident could only have happened outside." Masato concluded. "But it won't be easy to find the location out."

"We've already figured the location out." Erza and the group approached them. "According to our information Levy and Lisanna might have entered the forest. We don't know yet if other students are involved as well."

"You mean the Lycanoo forest?" Gildarts wanted to know. "I hope they didn't encounter them. Lycanoos usually avoid humans but their elders are easily attracted by greater amounts of magic energy." he explained.

"You think some students are able to bring up such an amount of magic?" Gray asked unbelievingly.

"Well, there is indeed someone who possesses such an amount of magic. It is hidden but someone with fine senses might be able to notice it." Masato didn't need to reveal whom he was referring. "We should hurry!"

"Ok, I can lead you the way." Sophie proposed and the group took off.

Juvia suddenly noticed that Cathy didn't follow them. "Don't you come with us?" she wanted to know.

"No, I'm going to get some backup and follow you then." Cathy responded. "Take this flower." she gave the light pink blossom of a daphne to Juvia. "I can easily trace its scent." she explained and turned back inside. "Be careful." she said turning a last time to Juvia.

Juvia just nodded and then followed the others.

-…-

Lisanna and Lucy tried to get up on their feet again. Lisanna was hardly able to stand but Lucy helped her. "You can lean on me." she proposed and took Lisanna's right arm over her shoulder.

"Thanks." Lisanna replied thankfully. "But what are we doing about him?" she pointed to the unconscious Rudy.

"I guess we can leave him to Hibiki." Lucy proposed. "I met him in the forest earlier. He's certainly still somewhere around here."

As the girls proceeded to go on, suddenly a severely wounded Hibiki appeared from behind the trees. "Run!" was the only thing he mentioned being in horror. Behind him appeared some suspicious shadows snarling threateningly. Hibiki collapsed right in front of the girls.

"We've finally found the right one." it was the voice of a young man coming from a much shorter, human-like shadow with upright standing hair appearing amidst the group of Lycannos.

Suddenly giant letters appeared between the students and the Lycanoos forming to a huge wall of fire that surrounded the wolves. Levy and Yuna were suddenly appearing at the scene as well.

"You followed us?" the guy realized frustrated. "I ordered three of my henchmen to deal with you."

"Yeah, Ren and Eve are taking care of them for the moment." Yuna noted.

"Lucy, Lisanna! We must hurry and leave this place at once!" Levy ordered them. "My firewall won't stop them much longer."

"B-but what's with Hibiki and the other guy?" Lucy asked worried.

"Leave it to me!" Yuna suggested. "Minimizing Bullets!" she shot twice at each of the guys reducing their size and weight by fifty percent in the process. She carried them, one under each arm. "Let's go now. The effect will only last a few minutes."

-…-

Ren used the rest of his magic and shot a sphere of concentrated air against the lycanoo in front of him. The wolf flew to the back but managed to land on his feet easily and didn't show any signs of being hurt. "Damn, they are tough." Ren cursed. He went a step back noticing Eve right behind him who was facing a second lycanoo.

"At least we managed to take out one of them." Eve noted. "I hope the girls got out of the forest in time." he was visibly exhausted as well.

"And who is going to save us?" Ren had just finished his words when the opponents charged at them again. Suddenly Erza and Gray appeared out of nowhere.

"Blumenblatt!" Erza, requipped in her Heaven's Wheel Armor, sliced the wolf that was attacking Ren.

"Ice Make: Battle Axe!" Gray sliced the wolf that was attacking Eve.

"Erza, Gray! Are you the cavalry?" Eve was happy to see them.

"Don't tell me you're the only ones who came here?" Ren complained.

"No, we've been separated from the rest of the team when a pack of around twenty Lycanoos attacked us." Gray explained.

"We need to hurry and find the others!" Erza stated serious. "I can feel an evil magic aura arising." she clenched her teeth.

-…-

"You're sure they are this way?" Juvia who was following Sophie wanted to know.

"Yeah, we're almost there. I can feel that we are coming closer and closer." Sophie replied.

Just in this moment they encountered the group of Lisanna, Lucy, Yuna, Levy, Hibiki and Rudy.

But the happiness of their reunion didn't last long. Just a second later Levy was stabbed in the back by a black claw.

* * *

><p>Next chapter: The Black Wolf<p> 


	16. Chapter 16: The Black Wolf

The subplot is proceeding into an unknown complexity. I hope I can finish it in the following chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p>"<em>Erza, Gray! Are you the cavalry?" Eve was happy to see them.<em>

"_Don't tell me you're the only ones who came here?" Ren complained._

"_No, we've been separated from the rest of the team when a pack of around twenty Lycanoos attacked us." Gray explained._

"_We need to hurry and find the others!" Erza stated serious. "I can feel an evil magic aura arising." she clenched her teeth._

_-…-_

"_You're sure they are this way?" Juvia who was following Sophie wanted to know._

"_Yeah, we're almost there. I can feel that we are coming closer and closer." Sophie replied._

_Just in this moment they encountered the group of Lisanna, Lucy, Yuna, Levy, Hibiki and Rudy. But the happiness of their reunion didn't last long. Just a second later Levy was stabbed in the back by a black claw._

Chapter 16: The Black Wolf

Gildarts and Masato, two elite educators, had been divided from the rest of the team by the attack of a pack of Lycanoos. Several minutes later the fight was over.

"What was that for? I didn't even need to use my magic." Gildarts seemed to complain about the weakness of his opponents. Twelve Lycanoos were lying motionlessly on the ground in front of him.

"Hm, I guess it was a trap." Masato replied. "They were just used to distract us for the moment." He pointed at the wolves that had been defeated by Gildarts and at the other eleven ones that had been defeated by him. "I've completely lost the trace of the students. Apparently our senses are manipulated by some magic." he assumed.

"If that's the case, that would mean there really is a Lycanoo elder behind these attacks." Gildarts concluded getting worried.

-…-

"W-WHAT?" Juvia looked scared at Levy in front of her, who was being pierced through from the back by a black claw.

Just in this moment Levy was realizing the situation herself and started to cough blood.

"This was the punishment for you trying to hinder my plan." the guy behind her was still hidden in the shadows. Only his upright standing, black hair was identifiable.

"LEVY!" Lucy shouted in horror when she realized her friend being seriously hit.

The figure of a young, short man appeared behind Levy. His upward standing hair looked similar to a black flame. He wore a black suite, his upper body was protected by a silver battle armor with a long red cape.

He pulled his claw out of Levy's body making her stumbling towards Juvia and Sophie. The claw transformed back into his right hand. "First one down." the guy taunted them.

When Levy was about to fall to the ground, Lisanna and Lucy immediately rushed forward to catch her. Juvia and Sophie went to her as well. At the same time Yuna let the guys she carried down and put out her weapon instantly aiming at the place where their opponent stood. But he was already gone. 'He's damn fast!' Yuna thought.

"Where are aiming at?" a voice came from one of the treetops. Like a shadow he jumped back down and immediately charged towards Yuna. He was about to strike her with his black claw but suddenly Juvia got in the way. He pierced her through the chest but she avoided being hit by transforming her upper body into water. Noticing that his attack didn't work the guy went back. Juvia and Yuna were serious to face him together.

Meanwhile Lisanna, Lucy and Sophie were trying hard to save Levy's life but her injury was serious. Although they managed to stop the blood loss, she already lost too much of it. Lucy realized the situation and started to cry.

"Don't worry." Sophie tried to calm her. "I can save her life." She then put her left forefinger and middle finger on her heart and her right fingers on Levy's heart. "Life Share!" after casting the spell energy started to flow from her body, around her right arm and to Levy. "This way I can save her life for the next time." Sophie explained. "But we need someone to get some backup as fast as possible. Gildats-sama, Masato-sama, Erza, Gray and some other guys are still somewhere in the forest."

"Leave this to me." Lucy had calmed again. She took out a silver key: "Open the gate of Aquila!" the human-sized eagle appeared. "Please look for Gildarts and Erza. We need their help." she asked the celestial spirit. The eagle nodded and flew off.

"Sophie, I'll guard you if this guy tries to attack you." Lisanna stated taking a defensive stance in front of Sophie and Levy. "I hope Juvia and Yuna can keep him in place for the moment."

"Ok, then I'll guard Hibiki and the other one." Lucy took out her whip.

Juvia and Yuna were trying to fend their opponent off. "Water blades!" Juvia charged him with cutting water waves but he was able to avoid the attack. "You won't escape this one!" Yuna had activated her silver eye that allowed her to never miss an aim. "Poisoning Bullets!" she shot a fusillade of magical bullets against him. He would have been hit but managed to deflect them with his black claw.

"Do you really think you could battle me with such low abilities?" he mocked the girls. "I'm Vegeta the Black Wolf! Prince of the Lycanoos!" he declared proudly. "You're far below my level." he put his hands together concentrating his magic creating a black hole. "Gate of the wolves!" Suddenly several Lycanoos appeared one by one out of the portal. "You can kill them. But don't do any harm to the silver-haired one!" he ordered his subordinates.

"M-me?" Lisanna reacted surprised when Vegeta was pointing at her. The girls were now facing a group of seven Lycanoos. Vegeta didn't look like he would take part in the fight. Three Lycanoos went into a four-legged position and started a synchronized sound-wave-attack that caused Juvia and Yuna to lose their concentration. Two other wolves were already attacking and injured them with their claws.

Lucy took a golden key out to defend against the wolf attacking her. "Open the gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!" The bull appeared but she was unsure for how long her magic would last.

"Mooh! I won't let you harm Lucy-sama!" he tried to strike the Lycanoo with his axe. But the wolf was fast enough to avoid the attack and severely hit Taurus from the back. The bull disappeared again.

One Lycanoo was jumping from tree to tree over the heads of the others. From the back he was charging at Sophie and Levy. But Lisanna had noticed him. She jumped in the way of the attack. "Tiger claw!" she transformed her right leg and kicked towards the wolf crashing with his claw. Both were thrown back and landed on the ground.

"Lisanna! Behind you!" Sophie tried to warn her but it was already too late. Vegeta suddenly appeared right behind Lisanna and hit her at the neck knocking her out instantly. "You can kill the rest of them." he ordered the wolves that were surrounding the others. Everyone was either injured or already unable to fight anymore.

When Vegeta bowed down to take Lisanna with him, he was attacked by a shower of lances made of ice. But he could avoid them in the last moment by jumping back in the air. "More interferers that want to get killed by me?" he hissed annoyed.

Erza, Gray, Eve and Ren appeared at the scene. But they weren't alone. A new backup-team had joined them: Cathy brought Yamchu, Tenshinhan, Ace and Ggio – the four of them shared one apartment – with her. The team divided and forced the Lycanoos to retreat. Gray went to help Lucy. Tenshinhan, Ace and Ggio guarded Juvia and Yuna, while Yamchu, Eve and Ren were taking care of the unconscious Lisanna, Hibiki and Rudy. Cathy went to the side of Sophie and Levy.

"Gather!" Vegeta ordered his subordinates to his side. "You know your orders. I won't accept any failure." The wolves lined up in front of him.

"You better stay back." Ggio mentioned to Yuna. "We'll take care of them. They will pay dearly for what they did to you." Yuna blushed at his remark.

"Are you ok?" Gray asked Lucy. "You look pretty much exhausted. You should take a break for now." he proposed.

"Thank you." Lucy replied with a smile but she couldn't hide that the recent battles had consumed all of her power. And she was still worried. Gray, Tenshinhan, Ace and Ggio had lined up in front of her and were facing seven Lycanoos. Erza confronted the guy named Vegeta alone who was apparently the leader of the wolves. Levy, Lisanna and Hibiki had already been taken out and Juvia, Yuna, Eve and Ren had been injured during their fights with the Lycanoos. Lucy cursed the fact that she wasn't able to do anything to turn the situation. Her last hope was Aquila who was still looking for Gildarts and Masato.

Yamchu watched worried over to Vegeta. They both shared a common background but luckily Vegeta hadn't recognized him yet. 'What the hell is he doing here?' Yamchu wondered because their opponent was originally an inhabitant of the Dark Forest close to the town Liliana and the former academy FP.

"I'll deal with him." Erza was now facing Vegeta. She felt that he was far stronger than an average Lycanoo. She requipped her Heavens Wheel Armor and charged at her opponent with one sword in each hand. She still didn't know anything about the power levels of the others except Gray. Gray would be able to take out one or even two wolves but were the others able to handle the rest?

-…-

[Gray vs. Lycanoo]

Gray was charged at by a wolf very fast. 'At this rate distant attacks won't work.' he concluded. "Ice Make: Floor!" Gray put his right hand on the ground and created a layer of ice in front of him. His attacker lost the balance but landed on all fours.

Gray used the distraction for his counter: "Ice Make: Hammer!" a giant appeared in the air ready to smash his opponent. But in the last moment the Lycanoo could escape to the left side by pushing off the ground.

Gray was attacked again. "Ice Make: Shield!" he guarded himself with a large wall of ice crystals. The opponent rammed its claw into the shield to break it but without success.

The Lycanoo then charged forward again and stroke with both claws at the same time. The claws were surrounded by a black magic aura. The wolf crashed through the shattering ice and attacked Gray as well. But his body shattered into pieces of ice.

Gray suddenly appeared in the air: "Ice Make: Lance!" the attack didn't miss the target.

When Gray landed on the ground, his opponent got up again and hit him with the right claw. "Arggh!" Gray was pushed back.

The Lycanoo charged for a finishing strike but Gray had already recovered from the attack and used the distance for his final spell: "Ice Make: Ice Canon!" Before the wolf could hit him he shot a wave of ice in its face instantly finishing his opponent.

First Lycanoo down.

-…-

[Tenshinhan vs. Lycanoo]

Tenshinhan was able to catch the right claw of the wolf with his left hand before it could reach him. He then landed his right knee into the stomach of his opponent and punched him in the face with his right fist.

A second Lycanoo suddenly attacked him. Tenshinhan was barely able to dodge the first strike and then was sent flying back by a harsh kick into his stomach.

While the pair prepared for their next move he got up again and concentrated his magic. He crossed his arms in front of his face and drew them apart. In the process he doubled himself so that it was a two-on-two-battle now.

The opponents charged against each other. The right Tenshinhan managed to grab one arm of the wolf and threw him away over his shoulder. He then went to help his double.

The other one was busy avoiding and dodging a wave of wolf claws attacking him. The Lycanoo was about to deal a critical hit that would break the defense of the other Tenshinhan. But before, the wolf was kicked in the back of his neck by the first one.

The double used the stumbling of his opponent and tripped the wolf up. Before it could get up again the Lycanoo was hit by a synchronized punch of both Tenshinhans finishing it instantly. Then they fused again into one person when the other Lycanoo reappeared.

Second Lycanoo down.

* * *

><p>Finally the first real antagonist is introduced and makes his move.<p>

I hope you like the idea of the Lycanoos although the essential information about their role in the story is still missing.

Next chapter: Half-brothers


	17. Chapter 17: Halfbrothers

I'm very sorry for taking so long. The substory is almost finished.

I would like some reviews concerning Vegeta - at least he is the first real antagonist taking action.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>Gray, Tenshinhan, Ace and Ggio had lined up in front of her [Lucy] and were facing seven Lycanoos. Erza confronted the guy named Vegeta alone who was apparently the leader of the wolves. Levy, Lisanna and Hibiki had already been taken out and Juvia, Yuna, Eve and Ren had been injured during their fights with the Lycanoos. Lucy cursed the fact that she wasn't able to do anything to turn the situation. Her last hope was Aquila who was still looking for Gildarts and Masato.<em>

_-…-_

_[Gray vs. Lycanoo]_

_The Lycanoo charged for a finishing strike but Gray had already recovered from the attack and used the distance for his final spell: "Ice Make: Ice Canon!" Before the wolf could hit him he shot a wave of ice in its face instantly finishing his opponent._

_First Lycanoo down._

_-…-_

_[Tenshinhan vs. Lycanoo]_

_The double used the stumbling of his opponent and tripped the wolf up. Before it could get up again the Lycanoo was hit by a synchronized punch of both Tenshinhans finishing it instantly. Then they fused again into one person when the other Lycanoo reappeared._

_Second Lycanoo down._

Chapter 17: Half-brothers

[Ace vs. Lycanoo]

"Flame Blades!" Ace tried to slash the two Lycanoos attacking him with blades made of fire that spread out of his hands. The magic he used was similar to that of Juvia but he used flames instead of water. Unfortunately his opponents were fast enough to avoid his attack.

In the split of a second one wolf appeared right in front of Ace and the other one behind him. They impaled his upper body with their claws. In that moment Ace revealed his whole body consisted of flames and that the attack of the Lycanoos was useless.

Because of his invulnerability Ace remained surprisingly calm and prepared his next move. He crossed his arms in front of his body. "Flame Explosion!" by spreading his arms to the sides he created an exploding wave of flames in a 1 meter radius. His opponents were simply blasted away. One wolf was taken out instantly.

After a short moment the other Lycanoo got up again but was visibly injured by the burns.

Ace hauled off with his right hand and formed it into a fist. "Fire Ball!" he pushed the fist to the front and shot a flaming projectile against the remaining opponent. The wolf wasn't able to escape and was knocked out by the strike.

Third and fourth Lycanoo down.

-…-

[Ggio vs. Lycanoo]

"Twin Saber!" Ggio created saber-formed, magical blades out of both hands and used them to dodge the claw strikes of the Lycanoo attacking him. He avoided the next strike by jumping to the back. "Saber boomerang!" Ggio threw his right blade against the wolf.

The Lycanoo was hardly able to avoid the attack and was cut at his left cheek. Nevertheless it was unimpressed and charged towards Ggio again. In the same moment a second wolf attacked him from the back.

Ggio realized the situation. "Circular Cut!" by spinning round very fast he was able to hit both opponents. But the cuts were not very deep. The wolves recovered quickly and attacked him again.

With only one blade left Ggio was hardly able to dodge all strikes. In this moment the saber boomerang returned and hit one of the opponents at the back of the head and then disappeared.

"Giant Saber!" Ggio enlarged the blade and charged a horizontal strike against the other wolf. But it was able to avoid getting hit by jumping back.

Despite being hit the other Lycanoo got up again. Realizing that it wouldn't be easy to defeat the saber-rattler, it decided to attack the unguarded and injured Yuna instead.

Ggio noticed the intention of the wolf. "Yuna! Look out!"

Yuna took out her weapon but she was too slow. The wolf was about to strike her with the claw when suddenly Ggio got in the way and shielded her with his body. He was impaled through the chest right in front of Yuna's eyes.

"No!" Yuna was shocked by the bloody scene.

The Lycanoo drew its claw back and was about to finish the severely wounded Ggio.

With his last strength Ggio attacked the wolf. "Saber-tooth!" with grown teeth he bid his opponent in the neck and forced it to retreat for the moment. Ggio then collapsed in Yuna's arms.

"Why did you risk your life for my sake?" Yuna asked him with tears in her eyes.

"Sorry, I promised to pay them back but I wasn't able to keep it." Ggio replied with a weakened voice.

"You fool!" Yuna cried out leaning over her savior. She then noticed that the two Lycanoos started their next attack.

"Ice Make: Prison!" Gray suddenly appeared in the air above the wolves and trapped them inside a huge ice cage. He then went to Yuna and Ggio. "Are you alright? Looks like you could need some help." he mentioned ready to fight against the Lycanoos.

"You should help him." Ggio told Yuna with a weakened voice. "I'm ok so far."

Yuna just nodded, stood up and went to Gray's side.

"Are you sure you can fight again?" Gray wanted to know referring to the injuries Yuna had received earlier.

"Of course!" Yuna replied determined. "Don't forget that I'm a former student of Fallen Phoenix."

-…-

[Erza vs. Vegeta]

In her Heavens Wheel Armor Erza was fighting against Vegeta. With two swords she charged one slash after the other but her opponent was fast enough to avoid each attack. "You are fast." she commented at Vegeta's speed. "But you won't be able to escape all my attacks."

"Don't worry about that." Vegeta replied with an evil smile. "Now it's my turn to fight back." He transformed his hands into black claws and charged fast at Erza.

Erza crossed both swords in front of her and managed to stop his right claw.

With his left claw Vegeta stroke against the same point where both blades crossed. Both heels of his hands where now touching each other. He then concentrated magic between his claws. "Wolf Fang Canon!" a giant red glowing head of a wolf formed between Vegeta's hands and pushed with its mouth against Erza's crossed swords.

After a short moment Erza couldn't withstand the pressure anymore and was thrown back by the impact. She focused her energy and sliced the wolf head by pushing the blades apart with all her force. She then landed on the ground again still sliding a bit backwards.

Suddenly Vegeta appeared right behind Erza and attempted to stab her from the back with his right claw.

Erza instinctively avoided the attack by jumping in the air. Her opponent was visibly surprised that she was still able to react fast enough. Erza turned to Vegeta. "Tenrin: Circle Sword!" she created seventeen swords forming a circle and threw it like a rotating buzz saw blade against Vegeta.

Vegeta escaped the attack by jumping to the side.

Erza used her telekinesis and let the Circle Sword follow her opponent.

This time Vegeta couldn't avoid it in time. He transformed his claws back into human hands and put them to the front. With a quick move he put them together catching one blade between the palms of his hands and thus stopping the rotation of the Circle Sword instantly.

Meanwhile Erza had summoned more swords around her in the air and shot them towards Vegeta.

Vegeta used his strength and threw the Circle Sword back towards Erza. Its rotation was fast enough to cut through all the blades that were charging at him.

Erza was caught off guard by the counter attack but was able to get out of its path in time. She flew back to the ground and changed her armor. "Time to get serious." she mentioned and revealing her Black Wing Armor.

"I guess you're right." Vegeta replied noticing that four of his underlings had already been defeated. He concentrated his magic and created an orb of black light. Then he threw the orb high in the air and stopped it when it was blocking the sight of the moon completely.

-…-

Yamchu who was assisting Sophie in saving Levy's life followed the other fights from afar. Most of all the battle between Erza and Vegeta got his attention. "Damn it!" He realized Vegeta's intention. "I had no idea that he's able to use this technique."

The black sphere started to absorb the light of the moon and turned into a dark red. The auras of the remaining Lycanoos changed dramatically. They turned their heads to the red light and started to howl. In the process their bodies grew, their muscles increased, their hair became wilder and their eyes turned into a dark red.

"What the hell is going on there?" Cathy who was caring for the unconscious Lisanna wondered.

"I can feel their power increasing." Sophie noted referring to the wolves. She then noticed that Yamchu's eyes started to glow red as well. "You should go and help the others." she mentioned to him.

"I d-didn't plan this outcome. I'm sorry." Hibiki who had regained his consciousness stated with a weakened voice. He then turned to Eve and Ren: "If you're able to fight on then please take care of Lucy."

Eve and Ren looked at each other and nodded.

-…-

Gray couldn't believe what he saw. After their change the Lycanoos could easily shatter his ice prison into pieces.

Yuna immediately took out her weapons. "Sleeping Bullets!" she shot at the two wolves in front of them. But she soon had to notice that the attack didn't have any effect. "Damn, their coat is too thick. My bullets aren't working."

"Looks like the tables have turned against us." Gray remarked when the wolves started to attack them.

-…-

Tenshinhan was still fighting one Lycanoo. But after its change he was easily overpowered and fell to the ground. His opponent was about to deal the final blow when suddenly Ace appeared between them.

Ace was hit by the claw but his body transformed into flames. "You can't hurt me this way." he stated confidently.

The Lycanoo distanced a bit and then started to howl. The sound wave hit Ace and distinguished the flames revealing his original body again. The wolf attacked again and this time Ace was injured by the claw.

-…-

Erza continued her fight against Vegeta. "I don't know what you've done but when I beat you everything will be over and my comrades will be saved." Both opponents seemed to be equal. Her sword clashed with Vegeta's black claws several times.

"After changing your armor your skills have improved as well." Vegeta stated complimenting her. "But this won't be enough to beat me." he then caught the sword between the palm of his hands and stopped it. With a quick move he simply broke the weapon.

"No way." Erza was shocked by Vegeta's strength.

Vegeta used the chance. He put the heals of his hands together while spreading his fingers and aimed at Erza. "Wolf Fang Canon!"

"Aaaah!" The attack caught Erza off guard and she was thrown far to the back. Parts of her armor were destroyed in the process.

Vegeta charged at her again with his right black claw. But before he could hit her, he was stopped by a wolf claw catching his arm. "W-what is the meaning of this?" Vegeta realized the figure of a large grey wolf standing next to him.

"Another Lycanoo?" Erza was confused by the scene in front of her. Why should the wolf help her?

"No, I don't belong to them." the wolf replied. "You can leave Vegeta to me."

"Ha, I see now." Vegeta noted and freed his arm from the grip. "It's you, Yamchu!"

"Y-Yamchu?" Erza was surprised hearing the name of her new comrade. "W-what are you?"

"He is a hybrid, born to a female Lycanoo elder and a male human." Vegeta explained. "I always hated mother for this blasphemy. She soiled our noble blood." he remarked furiously. He then repeated his special attack: "Wolf Fang Canon!"

"Wolf Fang Canon!" Yamchu answered by using the same attack.

* * *

><p>Next chapter: Vegeta's ambition<p> 


	18. Chapter 18: Vegeta's ambition

Finally the last part of the subplot. I never thought it would span five chapters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>[Erza vs. Vegeta]<em>

…

_Vegeta charged at her again with his right black claw. But before he could hit her, he was stopped by a wolf claw catching his arm. "W-what is the meaning of this?" Vegeta realized the figure of a large grey wolf standing next to him._

_"Another Lycanoo?" Erza was confused by the scene in front of her. Why should the wolf help her?_

_"No, I don't belong to them." the wolf replied. "You can leave Vegeta to me."_

_"Ha, I see now." Vegeta noted and freed his arm from the grip. "It's you, Yamchu!"_

_"Y-Yamchu?" Erza was surprised hearing the name of her new comrade. "W-what are you?"_

_"He is a hybrid, born to a female Lycanoo elder and a male human." Vegeta explained. "I always hated mother for this blasphemy. She soiled our noble blood." he remarked furiously. He then repeated his special attack: "Wolf Fang Canon!"_

_"Wolf Fang Canon!" Yamchu answered by using the same attack._

Chapter 18: Vegeta's ambition

AN UNKNOWN LOCATION IN THE FOREST

From afar two shadows were observing the fight via video lacryma.

"How is the 'Prince' doing?" a young man wanted to know.

"Looks like he's having some problems." a woman replied. "The 'Phoenix' got back up by some very strong mages. Amongst them are the 'Titania', 'Fire Fist' and the 'Silent Giant'. But if we interfere now, we could get hold of the 'Black Wolf' and the 'Phoenix' at the same time.

"No, it wouldn't wise to take action yet." the man stated. "Our preparations aren't finished yet. We would be in trouble if we draw any more attention of Magic Council to us now. For now we should keep our focus on our primary target: Vegeta."

-…-

[Yamchu vs. Vegeta]

Two red glowing wolf heads crashed into each other. But Yamchu's attack overpowered Vegeta's, biting the latter deep in the shoulder.

"Guaaargh!" Vegeta was thrown far to the back and crashed into a tree.

"Did you really beat him?" Erza wondered impressed.

"Unfortunately I don't think that he is done yet." Yamchu replied. "I wouldn't have transformed if he could be defeated that easily."

Vegeta returned from the crashed tree. Although he was pretty injured he still had an malicious grin on his face. "This power is truly amazing." Vegeta commented referring to Yamchu's attack. "I've always been jealous of you, who can use the 'Wolf Arts' to the fullest."

"You should retreat Vegeta or I'll crush you!" Yamchu advised him seriously.

"Don't make me laugh! Do you really think, you could beat ME like this?" Vegeta shouted out loud furiously. "Originally I intended to use the power of the 'Phoenix' to keep the human form forever. But after being reminded of the true power of the wolves by you I forfeit this plan." Vegeta was now completely surrounded by a black aura.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'power of the Phoenix'?" Erza asked nervously. "The Phoenix was sealed more than two years ago! The most qualified specialists of Fallen Phoenix had been entrusted with this task."

"Well, maybe it didn't work properly." Vegeta shrugged satirically. "I can clearly smell the 'Flame of Life' burning inside the white haired girl. But that doesn't count anymore." this has been Vegeta's last words before he retransformed into his original form. A giant black Lycanoo was now standing in front of Erza and Yamchu.

"That's bad. I didn't expect him to use Retransformation regarding that he won't be able to transform on his own again." Yamchu worried. "He's not only times stronger than before. In this form he doesn't have any reason left. He's no more than a dangerous animal."

"Let's try it together." Erza went at Yamchu's side.

The battle continued. Yamchu attempted to strike with both claws but Vegeta easily countered with his claws. The opponents caught each but Vegeta managed soon to overpower Yamchu.

Suddenly Erza appeared from the side and tried cut the black wolf with a diagonal strike of her sword. Vegeta avoided the attack by jumping back in the last moment but nevertheless he was slightly cut at his left cheek.

With a shadow like movement Vegeta rushed through the gap between his opponents.

Erza and Yamchu realized the black wolf was behind them and turned around immediately. But it was too late. They had already been struck during Vegeta's movement but just realized it when they were hit by the shock wave that was caused by the attack.

"Ahhh!" Erza and Yamchu got down simultaneously. 'How can he be so fast despite his size?' Erza thought and tried hard to get up as fast as possible because Vegeta was already attacking them again. Erza countered with a vertical slash but the wolf easily avoided it by jumping in the air. In the split of a second he reappeared behind Erza in the air and kicked her away.

Yamchu attacked Vegeta as soon he was on his feet again. He managed to hit him with his left claw and followed with several strikes but Vegeta could avoid each one easily.

"Photon Slicer!" Erza had requipped her Morning Star Armor and shot a light beam at Vegeta. The wolf was hit and distracted so that Yamchu could prepare his next attack. He took a deep breath. "Wolfs Howl!" he charged a strong sound wave against Vegeta.

Vegeta was thrown to the back but managed to land on all four feets slicing over the ground. He then answered with a similar attack. Vegeta's sound wave was far stronger than Yamchu's.

Yamchu couldn't avoid it and was seriously hit, knocked out and retransformed back into his human form.

There was only Erza left to oppose the black wolf.

-…-

Meanwhile the others had teamed up as well against the remaining three wolves. Each team battled against one Lycanoo: Ace had teamed up with Tenshinhan, Gray was supported by Eve and Ren, Lucy and Juvia had recovered as well and joined Yuna's fight. But the Lycanoos were still powered up by the red moon light and overpowered them.

"Scutum!" it was the voice of Masato. He and Gildarts had finally arrived at the scene. Masato had imitated the constellation by pointing its form in the air with his fingers three times. The image of constellation appeared three times where he had been pointing to. Then the points connected and changed into physical bodies made of starlight. "Guard them, shield of Sobieski!" The three shields saved the students from the Lycanoos' attacks.

"Thanks to Aquila we found a way out of this trap." Gildarts noted. "Do you see the red light there, I guess we need to destroy it. Can you get me up there?"

"No problem: Hercules!" Masato pointed the constellation and a giant shape of the mythological character made of starlight appeared. "He can throw you there."

Gildarts jumped on the giants hand and was thrown far in the air. He soon reached Vegeta's sphere that had absorbed the moon light. "Shatter!" he simply crashed the energy sphere into pieces with one punch. The effect of the magic was broken and the wolves returned to their usual form and strength.

-…-

"That's our chance!" Cathy joined Ace and Tenshinhan. "Fire Red Roses!" she threw four blossoms of red roses in the air.

"Flamethrower!" with one attack Ace burnt the flowers revealing that they were resistant against fire. They absorbed it and started to glow.

Tenshinhan had doubled his arms and caught one blossom in each hand. His hands started to glow as well but he didn't feel any pain from the heat. He then headed towards the Lycanoo and attacked it with series of hot glowing punches knocking it out. With a last two-fist punch he sent the wolf flying in the air.

-…-

"Water Lock!" Juvia caught the Lycanoo inside a ball of water. "Please hurry, Juvia's magic won't hold it for long." she mentioned to Lucy, Yuna and Sagittarius who had been summoned by Lucy.

Yuna got in position aiming with her desert eagle MK XIX. "Lucy, that's our chance! Let's do it together."

"Ok! Sagittarius, aim a bit beneath the opponent." she asked the celestial spirit. "Shoot when Yuna gives the signal."

"As you command, Lucy-sama." the centaur replied and prepared three arrows.

The Lycanoo was able to escape from the prison by slicing the water sphere and landed back on the ground.

"Ready!" Yuna signalized to Sagittarius to shoot. Right now the Lycanoo stood exactly at the position where the arrows were heading. "Electrical Bullets!" Yuna shot three bullets which combined with the arrows in the air and increased their speed.

The wolf was hit in the upper body. Because it was still soaked with the water of Juvia's magic, the electrical effect was even stronger and it was knocked out.

-…-

Gray had managed to freeze the feet of the Lycanoo to the ground so that it couldn't move for a while. But the wolf would soon break free.

Ren created a sphere of concentrated air and Eve surrounded it with his snow. Then they combined their magic with Gray's Ice-Canon. "It's up to you now, Gray." Eve signalized that everything was prepared.

"How do we call this attack?" Gray wanted to know. "I hope it works."

"It's Blizzard-Canon." Ren replied.

"Ok: Blizzard Canon!" Gray shot the projectile against the Lycanoo. He was thrown back to the ground by the repulsion.

The attack was a white ball. When it hit the opponent it exploded into a heavy snowstorm swirling the wolf far through the air.

"Fantastic, I didn't expect such an effect." Eve commented amazed.

-…-

The black wolf noticed that the magic that had been increasing his power, was broken. But he didn't stop to fight against Erza in front of him.

Erza changed her armor a last time. She requipped a simple sarashi and flame patterned bottom hakama without any special abilities and concentrated all of her last magic for one final attack with her sword.

The opponents dashed towards each other and passed each other by. Both were hit the other's strike. Erza went to the ground severely injured but Vegeta was still standing.

Despite being in the better position, Vegeta's instincts told him to retreat. He sensed that Gildarts and Masato, two elite mages, had joined the fight and that all of the other Lycanoos had been beaten. He escaped into the dark forest.

-…-

AN UNKNOWN LOCATION INSIDE THE FOREST

The battle was still observed by the mysterious shadows. "They somehow managed to escape from my confusion." the woman with short blue hair told the young man. She was wearing a long blue robe and a cape of white feathers over her shoulders. "They have turned the tables and the 'Prince' is escaping know."

"Please follow him with your birds, Sylvia-sama." the man with wild, brown hair who was wearing a white cloak requested. "Please find out if there is some water close to him." he then put out a small mirror.

"He is heading towards a small lake." Sylvia replied. "If you hurry you can get there in time, Albireo-san."

-…-

Vegeta was about to pass the said lake when Albireo suddenly appeared out of the water. The wolf stopped abruptly.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not here to harm you." Albireo calmed him.

Indeed Vegeta's instincts didn't signalize any danger coming from the stranger.

Albireo got closer to the wolf and pointed with one finger at his forehead. "Transformation Order: Transform!" this spell engulfed Vegeta within white light and transformed him into his human form.

"W-what have you done to me?" Vegeta asked him surprised. "I shouldn't have been able to transform into my human body."

"Don't worry, I used a special magic that manipulates the transformation abilities of my opponents." Albireo explained. "I can also use it to retransform you again."

"But why did you do this?" Vegeta was suspicious about the intentions of the stranger.

"My name is Albireo Imma. I'm a member of the secret organization 'Roots of Order'. At the moment we are searching for strong allies. I watched your battle with the members of Fairy Tail and decided that you are qualified. If you join us we can show you a way to transform into a hybrid like your half-brother."

"Don't think that you can use me like simple pawn. But your offer sounds indeed interesting." Vegeta replied.

"Follow me, I'll introduce you to our leader." Albireo touched Vegeta's shoulder and they both disappeared through their mirror image in the water of the lake.

-…-

Gildarts and Masato organized everything for the return to the academy. "How can we transport the wounded back to the school fast and carefully at the same time?" Gildarts thought about the problem that Levy, Lisanna, Erza, Yamchu, Ggio, Hibiki and Rudi weren't able to move and the others were injured and exhausted. "I don't know any teleporting magic over such a far distance."

"Well, I guess it can't be helped." Masato sighed. 'I'll use my secret magic. I'll need some room to perform it."

"I'm curious, I've already heard the rumors about the secret arts of Constellation Embodiment Magic but I've never met anyone who saw it with the own eyes." Gildarts was looking forward to what was happening now.

"This magic is even unknown to most of us students of FP." Sophie explained. "It's the first time I see it."

"Sounds interesting." Lucy mentioned. 'From what I've seen Masato-san uses a magic that borrows the power of the stars like me – although the performing is different. Maybe he could teach me more about Celestial Spirit Magic as well.' she thought to herself.

"Let's begin: Puppis! Carina! Vela!" Masato imitated the images of the three constellations and then put them high in the air. It was different from before because the points didn't connect.

"The stars know everything!"

"What mankind has forgotten is still written into the sky."

"Awake the celestial glory from ancient times"

"and perform the secret art of the Lost Constellation Magic!"

After finishing the incantation the points started to connect and the constellations even connected with each other.

"Set sail: Argo Navis!"

The giant ship made of starlight appeared over everyone's heads in the sky and was ready for their return.

* * *

><p>After all I needed the substory in order to introduce some side characters that will reappear frequently in the upcoming main story.<p>

But I promise that next time I'll concentrate again on the main characters.

Next chapter: The competition


	19. Chapter 19: The competition

Finally the main story can go on. Hint: This chapter refers to information that was given in the chapters 08: 'New world' and 09: 'Challenge the future I'. But I tried hard to repeat the basic information so you won't necessarily need to read the other chapters again.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p>Chapter 19: The competition<p>

[Early in the morning, in the director's office]

Gildarts and Masato had informed director Makarov about the incident with the Lycanoo Vegeta.

"I think, we should form a team that investigates the incident and finds out whereabouts of Vegeta." Gildarts suggested.

"I support the idea." Masato agreed. "I consider the Black Wolf as a very dangerous and unpredictable enemy. Whatever he had planned he'll certainly cause further problems if we don't interfere."

"Hm, I guess you are right." Makarov replied. "I'm going to ask Laxus. He knows some people that are qualified for this task and they owe me a favor." The director hesitated a moment and then continued: "But nevertheless we won't abandon our plan. In about three months we are holding the competition. Gather all the students in the assembly hall."

-…-

[Early in the morning]

A new day was breaking and the sun was already shining brightly. Lisanna was woken by the sunlight shining into her face. She got up and recognized her room in the house of her sister Mira and her brother Elfman.

'What a day.' she thought sighing recalling the events of the last day. It had just been the first day after the arrival of the students of Fallen Phoenix that had been transferred to the magic academy of Fairy Tail. At first her old friend Natsu and her new friend Jean had fought an epic battle resulting in both had been hospitalized. The following night the Trimen competed who would be able to get a date at first. They had lured Lucy, Levy and Yuna into the Lycanoo forest with fake messages. She had been involved as well and had to fight against Lucy and afterwards against Rudi, an elite student of FP. Then they had been attacked by a pack of Lycanoos under the command of a guy named Vegeta. Levy had been injured seriously. And then …

Lisanna couldn't recall the ending because she had been knocked out by someone. When she had woken up again they had already returned to the academy. Levy, Erza, Yamchu, Ggio, Hibiki and Rudi had been taken to the hospital while she had assured that she hadn't been injured that badly and had been allowed to return home.

Lisanna wasn't really in the mood to get up but she finally decided to visit the hospital in order to check if the others were all right.

-…-

[Several minutes later]

Elfman was sitting alone in the kitchen having breakfast. He heard the noise of footsteps coming from the staircase. He watched the door to the kitchen opening and Lisanna entering.

Lisanna turned to her brother. "Good morning, Elf-nii-chan." She greeted him smiling brightly. She then looked around in the room. "Hm, I don't see Mira-nee anywhere?" she wondered.

"Good morning, Lisanna. Nee-chan had to leave early in the morning, but she didn't tell me why." Elfman replied. "I propose you take a seat and have breakfast with me. It's the most important meal of the day."

Lisanna accepted his suggestion.

Both were eating for while and didn't exchange any word. But then Elfman broke the silence. "How do you feel, Lisanna?" he wanted to know. "It looks like you have recovered from the recent events." he referred to last night when Lisanna had finally had returned home. At that time the signs of the battle had still been visible. Mira and Elfman had been worried to see their sister in this state. Elfman was surprised that she now looked like nothing had happened.

"Yeah, I feel totally fine today." Lisanna replied smiling. "But I wonder how the others are now. After the breakfast I'm going to visit them in the hospital. Would you like to come with me?"

After hesitating for a moment Elfman accepted. It looks like Lisanna was as usual but somehow he had the feeling that she was just pretending that everything was fine.

-…-

Lucy and Happy were on the way to the hospital. Most of all Lucy was worried about the condition of Levy and Happy wanted to visit Natsu again.

When they arrived Dr. Polyushka didn't allow them to disturb the patients. She was told that at least Levy's live wasn't endangered anymore but it would take some time to recover from the injury.

Shortly afterwards Lisanna and Elfman entered the hospital as well and were given the same information.

"And how are the others?" Lucy wanted to know.

"Whom are you talking about?" the doctor wondered. "The other patients that had been hospitalized last night already left again early this morning although I didn't allow it. You can ask them yourself when you meet them and now get out of here." she was visibly displeased.

Lisanna, Lucy and Elfman left the hospital again. "Where's Happy?" Lisanna wondered.

"He mentioned that he would try to sneak in the hospital and look after Natsu." Lucy replied. "He'll tell us later."

"Who's that?" Elfman saw a white cat approaching them.

It was Charle who had looked for them. "The director has ordered an important meeting right now. We shall gather in the assembly hall immediately." the exceed explained.

-…-

[Later in the assembly hall]

When they entered the hall they noticed that many other students had already gathered. While Lucy and Charle went over to Gray, Elfman decided to join the group of Yamchu and Tenshinhan and Lisanna went over to the group of Nat, Juvia, Sophie and Cathy.

"Good morning, it looks like everyone is already here." Lisanna noted. "But I can't see Mira-nee anywhere." she worried. "By the way, I'm missing Eva and Ayumi as well."

"Morning Lis-chan." Sophie greeted back. "According my information Mira, Ayumi and Eva have already left the academy. Maybe it has something to do with this announcement. There are rumors that all students shall participate in a competition."

"A competition?" Lisanna asked surprised.

"I guess we'll know it soon." Nat mentioned when the director was entering the hall.

-…-

Lucy and Charle were greeting Gray who was standing alone in the mass of students. "Where are Erza and Wendy?" Lucy wondered.

"I don't know. I heard that they have already left the academy but I don't have any further information." Gray replied. "According to the rumors all students shall participate in a competition. I guess that Erza left for training when she heard the news." he remarked with a smile.

"That would fit her." Lucy agreed.

Then everyone was quiet when the director entered the hall.

"Good morning, everyone." Makarov introduced his announcement. He was standing on a high platform in front of the audience. Samuel Aich, the former director of Fallen Phoenix was standing next to him. In front of the platform eight people were lined up in row: Gildarts Clive, Macao Conbolt, Masato Sanjoin, Ami Mizuno, Laxus Dreyar, a tall black cat in a knight's armor, a young woman with long black hair wearing a white robe of a priestess and a young, tall man with very short brown hair wearing a long black leather coat.

"The most of you may have already heard the news." the director continued. "On the occasion of the recent fusion between the academies of Fairy Tail and Fallen Phoenix we are holding a competition amongst all students. Aside from proving your magical skills it is intended to get both academies together."

"Then let me introduce the responsibles for the event." ex-director Samuel commenced. "Gildarts Clive, Macao Conbolt, Masato Sanjoin, Ami Mizuno, Pantherlily, Rei Hino and Torsten Schmidt will be your contact persons if you have any question towards the contest." he explained. "Now part into groups according to the list on the board." he pointed to the list that was projected on the wall behind the platform.

Lisanna read her name listed in block C with 39 other students.

[Later]

The students of block C gathered in room 303. Their instructor was Laxus Dreyar who explained further details about the competition: "In the next few months your task will be to train your skills and to form teams of five members. That means the block will be split into eight teams that will compete with each other. The teams have to register until the 16th August, which means in exactly three months from now on."

Laxus then switched on the projector. "The contest has two parts. One part consists of two team challenges. Each team can gather points according to its result in the challenge." he pointed at the first projection at the wall. "Each team sends four participants, the 'regular members', to the challenges."

He then switched to another projection. "The second part is a tournament with 16 participants. Two of the 'regular members' of each team are sent to the tournament. Please note that the chosen participants can't be switched with any other 'regular member'. The winners of each round gain points for the whole team."

He then switched off the projector. "The fifth members of each team are the so called 'reserve members' that can be exchanged with any 'regular member' during the contest. Of course someone who loses in the tournament can't be replaced by the 'reserve member' and the other way around a 'reserve member' that loses in the tournament can't be switched back with the regular participant. That's all information for now, the detailed rules are explained shortly before the competition starts."

Laxus put out a list. "If you want you can register for the contest right now. But please note that the team must be complete with five members and each member has to agree. The registration can't be cancelled. In block C we have already two teams registered." he projected a list on the wall:

Team A: 'Magic Stars'

Team leader: Mirajane

Regular team: Ayumi, Eva, Gerard, Ultear

Tournament: Gerard, Ultear

Reserve member: Mirajane

Team B: 'Demon Eyes'

Team leader: Fried

Regular team: Fried, Evergreen, Gary, Janina

Tournament: Gary, Janina

Reserve member: Bixlow

Lisanna wondered if this was the reason why Mira and the others had already been missing since the early morning.

The names of the team 'Magic Stars' especially caught the attention of Hibiki. According to his secret, even though unofficial, information each member was ranked under the Top 10 of either Fairy Tail or the former academy Fallen Phoenix. Competing against such a high ranked team seemed rather useless to him. That next thing that was bothering him was that he didn't have any information about the members of team B. Neither the lists of FT nor FP did provide any data on these students that had recently entered the academy as well.

Laxus finally ended the instruction.

-…-

Gray, Lucy and Charle left the room together and were chatting about the contest. Suddenly they were interrupted by a guy with wild light blue hair who had, similar to Gray, the attitude to walk around half naked. It was Lyon Vastia who had to talk about something urgent with Gray. The two of them had already known each other before they had entered the academy of FT at the same time.

"Gray, I have heard rumors that Ull is back." Lyon started the talk. "She is visiting the 'Sage of the Water' in Undina. So I figured out to meet her in order to get some special training." he explained.

"What did you say?" Gray couldn't believe what he heard.

Ull had been the foster mother of Gray and Lyon and had taught them the Ice Molding Magic. But Gray and Lyon hadn't known anything about her whereabouts since they had been sent to FT.

"What do you think? Would you like to join me?" Lyon wanted to know. "It's a unique chance to prepare for the upcoming competition."

Gray had to rethink the idea for a while. He looked over to Lucy.

Lucy who had accidently overheard their conversation nodded smiling. "You should take the chance, Gray. We don't know anything about Erza's and Wendy's whereabouts yet and we don't know when Natsu will be fit again."

"Lucy …" Gray didn't really know what to say. He then turned to Lyon. "Ok, I accept your idea but don't get me wrong." Gray's face became more serious. "In the competition I would prefer to challenge you as a worthy opponent rather than to be your partner."

"The same applies for me." Lyon replied with confident smile.

Gray turned to Lucy again: "Lucy, I promise I'll be back in time for the competition." he ensured her. "Please take care of Natsu for a while."

Then Gray and Lyon left for their adventure.

Seeing them leaving made Lucy depressed. Erza and Wendy had left without saying a word. Natsu was in the hospital and it didn't look like he would be discharged soon. And now Gray was gone as well. Lucy didn't see any way how she should prepare herself for the contest. She wasn't even sure if 'Team Natsu' would get together again in time.

"Lucy." the voice of a young guy called her from behind. Lucy turned around and saw Loki approaching her. Loki was a Celestial Spirit and was usually summoned by one of the twelve golden keys. He had never revealed the idendity of his current owner and it was even possible that he didn't have any owner at the moment. At least he had attended FT all the time together with Lucy and no one would be able to summon a Celestial Spirit for such a long time.

"I have something urgent to talk about with you." Loki continued. "I've received a letter from your hometown Liliana. It's time to tell you the truth."

-…-

Gajeel rushed over the campus. He didn't attend the instruction about the competition because something special was keeping him busy. Since he heard about the events of last night he had only one thought left in his mind. Now he was looking for a certain person. He finally detected her in a group of few girls and one guy who exactly looked like a certain dragon slayer. He went over to the group.

"Yuna was your name, wasn't it?" he started to talk to the girl he had met the day before on his way towards the library. Yuna nodded and blushed slightly. "I need to ask you for a favor." Gajeel continued. "But not here."

Yuna didn't know how to answer at first and looked around in the group. "You should go with him." Cathy encouraged her. Sophie and Lisanna agreed nodding. Then Gajeel and Yuna left the group.

"Who was this guy?" Nat was confused.

"His name is Gajeel but I don't know much about him because he wasn't yet a member of FT two years ago." Lisanna explained. "Apparently he has a close relationship to Levy but he usually denies it."

"Levy was the girl that was attacked by the Lycanoo last night and is now in the hospital." Sophie told Nat because he hadn't been present at the incident. "By the way it's time for me. I have something important to do. Would you please accompany me, Cathy?"

"Sure." Cathy answered and they both went off as well.

Lisanna and Nat stood there alone.

Suddenly Juvia was approaching them fast. "Lisanna, I've something important to tell you." the blue haired woman was visibly exhausted. "I was asked by Lyon to join his training. Gray is joining as well [Note: actually Lyon asked first Juvia and then Gray. That means he tricked Juvia.] and you know …" she couldn't finish the sentence and was blushing.

Lisanna could remember well that Juvia had always had feelings for Gray but until now she hadn't find the courage to tell him about. "I guess that's a unique chance for you." Lisanna encouraged her smiling. "But you have to promise me that you'll confess to him, ok?"

Juvia was happy about being encouraged by her friend. "I thank you, Lisanna. Additionally I promise that I will be back in time for the competition." she then remembered that she had something to deliver to Nat. "By the way," she turned to him "this letter is addressed to you." then the blue haired mage left for her adventure at Liliana.

"What did she mean when she mentioned that she will be back in time?" Nat wondered.

"That means that we are forming a team for the competition." Lisanna replied happily.

"Wow, I didn't even thought about the event yet." Nat remarked. "And who are the other participants of your team?"

"Well, what about you?"

"R-really?" Nat couldn't believe it. "You ask me to be member of your team."

"Why not? At least the four of us have always been a close team. I mean you, Sophie, me and Jean. And with Juvia we already have five members together." Lisanna was smiling when she saw the happy face of Nat. "By the way, what's the letter about?" she asked curiously.

"You're right, I totally forgot about it." Nat's face suddenly became serious when he read that the letter was from Liliana. He then read the name of the addressor: Katsu Dragion.

* * *

><p>Next chapter: News from Liliana<p> 


	20. Chapter 20: News from Liliana

I'm sorry for updating so late. The concept for the plot has already been in my mind for more than half a year but the details were difficult to write. I really had problems to introduce a new lead antagonist (OC).

I was about giving it up but your reviews encouraged to go on. Thank you very much.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>Summary: The Magic Academies of Fairy Tail and Fallen Phoenix had joined together. With the arriving of the FP-students at FT the problems hadn't to wait long. First there was the confrontation between Natsu and Jean, which resulted in both being hospitalized. Shortly afterwards a group of students, including Lucy and Lisanna, was intentionally attacked by a pack of rogue Lycanoos lead by the Black Wolf Vegeta.<em>

_As consequence director Makarov Dreyar and his team organized a competition between all students with the intention to prove each student's skills and to get both academies together. Before the competition starts the students were given three months time for training and forming teams of five members._

_While many students already started their preparation, the Celestial Spirit and student Loki encountered Lucy with important news from her hometown Liliana._

_At the same time Lisanna had invited Nat (Natsu Dragion) to join her team. But suddenly Nat received a letter from a man named Katsu Dragion._

Chapter 20: News from Liliana

Natsu was still recovering from the wounds he received during the duel with Jean. He cursed himself for not being able to help his friends during the Lycanoo-incident. But Happy's news of the upcoming competition motivated him to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. Before the event he would have to train hard in order to confront the known and yet unknown rivals.

Suddenly the door to the room opened and Dr. Porlyusica entered: "You have some guests. Please do not disturb the other patients." Lisanna and Nat entered the room following the doctor.

Natsu was visibly surprised by the unexpected visitors. The doctor left again. For a moment no one was saying anything. After all there were some unresolved issues between the three. Natsu remembered well his old friend Lisanna defending Jean after the latter had attacked and even caused him to end up at the hospital. Even more confusing was Nat who looked like an identical twin of Natsu.

"Well, Nat here has important news to tell you." Lisanna finally broke the silence and slightly pushed the shy Nat forward encouraging him.

"Well we … no I have …" Nat had some difficulties to put his thoughts into words. "Well, to be straight it was my father who asked me to tell you his last request … well."

Finally, with the help of Lisanna, Nat was able to tell the whole story: Katsu Dragion had been a well reputed researcher and traveler. Due to this and after the early death of his wife he hadn't been able to care for his son Nat properly and had decided to send him to the academy. Being certain that the dragons would still exist, Katsu had been exploring their disappearance and during his last voyage he had finally discovered a trace to an unknown island that was once inhabited by a dragon-worshipping tribe. The quest had ended with his team being attacked by strange creatures and he had been the only member being able to escape but with mortal wounds.

"Before dying he sent this letter with his last words to me including his last request." Nat concluded to the story. "After learning that I was transferred to Fairy Tail and its dragon slayers he asked me to follow his last trace."

"He thought that this news would be interesting for you who had learned your magic from a real dragon." Lisanna added. "We have been looking for Wendy and Gajeel as well but they have already left the academy for their training."

Natsu was visibly excited finally having a chance to find out about the disappearance of his foster father Igneel and maybe being able to see him again at some time. "Alright, let's go there!" he agreed forgetting the still unresolved issues for now. "So you know the location of this dragon island?"

Nat sighed slightly realizing that Natsu only got half of the story but was eased that he agreed that easily. "Well, there's still one problem with the location …" Nat admitted and took out a piece of paper. "I only received this piece of map attached to the letter. It shows no more than the island located in the midst of the sea."

Natsu's mood was about to drop again.

"But don't worry." Lisanna intervened motivated. "I have an idea who could be able to help us."

-…-

SOME TIME EARLIER

Loki reported to Lucy about receiving a message from Liliana. He revealed his true identity as the celestial spirit Leo the Lion and had been informed that his old friend the fellow spirit Capricorn had suddenly disappeared some days ago.

"Don't tell me you are talking about Capricorn the Goat." Lucy asked surprised. "Isn't he a spirit that is currently owned by my mother? Don't tell that something bad has happened to her." she continued getting worried.

"You don't need to worry." Loki tried to calm her down. "Layla Heartfilia was the one who informed about his disappearance since she knows that me and Capricorn are friends." the spirit explained and added: "She also asked me to keep an eye on you and your spirits. Recently there are more and more rumors about celestial spirits disappearing right after being summoned to this world."

"This is terrible news. We have to do something about this!" Lucy was ready to help Loki to find the missed ones.

"Don't be ridiculous." Loki was absolutely against her suggestion. "It's far too dangerous! I'm probably the only one unaffected because I currently reside in this world without being summoned. But the next time you use your keys, you could lose your own spirits as well. I just told you the story to warn you before this can happen."

"You can't fool me." Lucy objected. "I can feel that are going to investigate this issue. And if that's really the case, I won't let you go alone!" Lucy was determined. "You even might be the next one to disappear."

Loki hesitated for a moment but finally agreed. "You are right. Since their disappearance none of the missed spirits has returned to the celestial realm. I can vaguely feel their presence in this world." he explained. "It feels as if all spirits are gathered at a certain location. This feeling is slowly starting to drag me there as well."

"Then there's no time to wait anymore." Lucy didn't want to hesitate anymore. She and Loki looked at each other with a smile. Loki opened a gate to the celestial spirit world which they would use as a passage.

-…-

AT THE MAGIC COUNCIL AT CENTURIA

Master Purehito was walking over the floor seemingly talking to himself. "I'm worried about Zoldeo. So he disappeared without leaving any trace?" he waited for a moment and then continued: "Maybe the enemy got him …" he again hesitated for a moment. "You are right. The sign wasn't activated which could only mean that he vanished on his own …"

His self-conversation was interrupted by Lahar passing by. He had heard some voices and was looking after what's going on. "Purehito-sama, is something wrong?"

"Lahar-san." the master was a bit surprised but calmed down immediately. "It's nothing. I was just worried about this mysterious organization, Roots of Order. Since the last incident we haven't been able to find any clue about their aims or location."

"Yeah, it's troubling me as well." Lahar replied. "Even if we don't know about their plans, they answered our investigation by destroying an entire guild. This means they must be plotting something big."

"That's why we must even increase our investigations. Please go on, Lahar."

"Yes, sir!" the commander of the Rune Knights bowed to his superior.

-…-

AT AN UNKNOWN LOCATION

Nestrac, the leader of Roots of Order, was standing on the top platform of the black tower that was, despite its size, hidden in a vast cave deep under the earth. Because of this it was almost impossible to find this location.

He was assisted by Albireo, who had recently returned from his mission in the Lycanoo Forest. "How is the reactivation of the tower progressing?" Albireo wanted to know.

"It will take much longer than expected." Netsrac replied in serious tone. "The tower itself is unharmed from any damage but the spell that will be activated by this item is incomplete. Several hundred years ago when it was used the first time, it caused the destruction of a whole kingdom. Now as the last descendant of the ancient king I have the task to fix the seal."

"How troublesome …" Albireo commented in a calm but still concerned way. "It seems that time is against us. Our enemies have gotten pretty close recently. Luckily you were able to deceive them with your double."

"It was a failure." Netsrac objected. "Though I was able to create an identical offspring with my spell, I wasn't able to keep his mind in control and he abandoned the organization in the end."

"Soon, we won't need to worry about the issue anymore. According the latest report of my subordinate, he was able to find the trace of the traitor." Albireo reported to his master.

"You're talking about Janus?" the master wanted to know. "You believe, he can handle the situation on his own? You sure have a high opinion of this masked guy." Netsrac imagined the pretty small person wearing a white cloak all over the body and a black mask hiding his face.

"He might have some secrets but he is absolutely loyal to the organization." Albireo ensured. "In the end it allows me to proceed to the next mission at Undine. The princess is already waiting …" he then disappeared into the darkness.

-…-

Janus had finally arrived on a lone island, where he had found the location of his target. He was wandering through the tropical forest in the center of the island, observing his surroundings carefully. Suddenly two black tentacles appeared behind the trees on his left side and charged at him fast.

"Frost Blade!" With a swing of the right hand which was surrounded by a light blue aura, Janus deflected the attack and froze the tentacles in the same instant. The next moment the frozen parts broke into pieces.

"You try to attack me from the ground?" Janus talked to himself. He jumped high in the air right when the same tentacles broke through the ground under his feet. "This tactic is way too easy. I used Earth Sensor to read the underground vibrations." he commented on the opponent's attack while still floating in the air.

A strange humming noise made him look around and noticing a swarm of flies that was approaching him from the sky. Right in front of Janus the flies started to fuse their bodies together and assumed the form of a young woman with fly wings on the back and compound eyes. She immediately launched a kick towards Janus.

Though he was able to block the attack with his right arm, Janus was send flying headlong back to the ground. Janus was hardly able to turn around again. He was about to land on the feet when suddenly a huge, muscular woman wearing a bearskin with a bikini underneath appeared. "Allioth Crush!" she punched Janus hard in the body breaking his left arm in the process and sent him flying into the woods.

"Uh!" groaning form the pain and holding his injured arm, Janus slowly managed to get up again.

Now it seemed that the man behind the attack was about to make his appearance. To Janus' surprise it wasn't the double of Netsrac but Zoldeo. "You … you're the agent of the council's secret division. Don't tell me, you allied with the traitor."

"You don't need to know. You just die here and now." Zoldeo simply replied with a grin. "Ursa! Musca!" with a sign of the finger he ordered his subordinates to finish the intruder off.

"Gravity Break!" Janus hit his right fist hard into the ground breaking the earth beneath him into pieces. He used the crushed stones and dust around him as distraction and managed to escape into the deep forest.

-…-

ONE DAY LATER

On a small airship, the team of Nat, Lisanna, Natsu and Happy was approaching the mysterious island which was apparently connected to the dragons.

Lisanna was holding a black crystal she had received from her friend Sophie. Its magic was connected to the spirits of the team of the adventurer Katsu Dragion, which members had been killed while exploring the island. A blue light was shining towards the island of their destination. "There's no mistake." Lisanna told the pilot Nat. "The island ahead is our target location."

"Aren't you afraid of what awaits us there?" Nat was slightly nervous because of what had happened to his father's comrades.

"I don't know what we are going to find there but I'm sure we can handle the situation." Lisanna seemed to be confident. "After all, Natsu is with us. He is able to beat any opponent." she tried to encourage Nat with a smile while remembering old times.

"Natsu is super strong." Happy added to the conversation. "Additionally he is very motivated to meet the dragons."

Nat looked behind him seeing Natsu passed out from nausea in a corner of the back of the ship. "Well, he doesn't look very fit right now…"

-…-

At the same time a stellar gate opened at another location of the island. Lucy and Loki had secretly used this path in order to find the place where they assumed the missed celestial spirits. "Do you really think that here is the correct location?" Lucy wasn't quite sure about this seeing nothing but a huge tropical forest in front of her.

"Yes, I can feel it." Loki replied determined. "The missed spirits are calling me."

"Long time no see, Loki-sama." A familiar voice made him look over to a small hill. On the top the goat wearing a black suit, known as the Celestial Spirit Capricorn, was already waiting for their arrival.

* * *

><p>I hope you like the new story  subplot so far. For the next few chapters I will concentrate on the mentioned characters. Afterwards I plan to make Extra-chapters for the left out characters (Gray/Juvia/Lyon, Levy/Gajeel/Yuna, team Magic Stars, ...).


	21. Chapter 21: Of spirits and dragons

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>On a small airship, the team of Nat, Lisanna, Natsu and Happy was approaching the mysterious island which was apparently connected to the dragons.<em>

_-…-_

_At the same time a stellar gate opened at another location of the island. Lucy and Loki had secretly used this path in order to find the place where they assumed the missed celestial spirits. "Do you really think that we are at same correct location?" Lucy wasn't quite sure about this seeing nothing but a huge tropical forest in front of her._

"_Yeah, I can feel it." Loki replied determined. "The missed spirits are calling me."_

"_Long time no see, Loki-sama." A familiar voice made him look over to a small hill. On the top the goat wearing a black suit and known as the celestial spirit Capricorn was already waiting for their arrival._

Chapter 21: Of spirits and dragons

Janus, the mysterious, masked member of the organization Roots of Order, had been ordered to find and assassinate a traitor, who had originally been an identical offspring of his master Netsrac. Instead he had been confronted and defeated by Zoldeo and his subordinates Ursa and Musca. Luckily he had been able to escape and find a hidden cave.

'Hm, it seems that they haven't really tried to go after me.' he thought to himself while he was still recovering from the injuries. 'They probably are too busy to prepare something. But they will soon regret underestimating me.' his thoughts went on while his right eye started to glow white through the hole in his mask.

He suddenly noticed something long and black cleaving through the ground. 'The tentacles! They are spreading through the whole place. That's the magic of the master's double. I wonder what he and Zoldeo are planning on this island.'

-…-

Lucy and Loki were surprised meeting Capricorn.

"What are you doing here?" Loki asked astonished. "I thought you had gone missing along with the other celestial spirits."

"I was looking for the missed ones and followed their trace to this island." the goat-man explained in a calm manner. "I've already discovered the location where they are held captive. Then I noticed the stellar gate opening and found you."

Lucy was relieved that the spirit of her mother was alright.

"Follow me! Together we should be able to rescue the missed spirits." Capricorn proceeded to enter the forest behind him.

Lucy and Loki went after him. 'Please be careful, Lucy.' he whispered. 'Even if he is an old friend of mine, we can't just blindly trust him. I feel that something suspicious is going on here.'

'Alright!' Lucy answered whispering. Carefully she held two golden keys and a silver one in her grasp to be prepared for any situation. While still following, Lucy had an idea. "Capricorn, how are my parents doing?" she asked.

"Your parents …?" the goat returned the question turning around.

"He … he doesn't recognize me?!" Capricorn's hesitation was for Lucy evidence enough to draw the conclusion that something was wrong with the spirit of her mother.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Loki noticed it as well.

"Too bad." Zoldeo's voice suddenly appeared from behind the trees. "I planned to deceive you a bit longer but …" he then drew a silver key: "Open the gate of the Great Bear! Ursa Major!" he commanded and summoned the tall, muscular woman wearing a bearskin.

"He is a celestial spirit mage!" Lucy noticed. "So he is the one behind the vanishing of the spirits!?" She immediately drew out one of her golden keys. "Open the gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!"

"U-Ursa?! What are you doing here?" Taurus recognized his fellow.

Ursa didn't answer and was prepared to fight.

-…-

A few moments earlier the team of Lisanna, Nat, Natsu and Happy arrived on the island. While landing, Nat used his magic to change the form of the airship. At first he removed the wings and then equipped it with skids.

At first a sick Natsu barely managed to leave the ship. But as soon as he felt solid ground under his feet, his mood changed from naught to sixty. "Ok, now I'm ready for meeting the dragon!" he shouted in the air. Happy was soon following after him. "Where are Lisanna and Nat?" Natsu wondered noticing that they hadn't left the ship yet.

After a short while, Lisanna came out as well. "Nat has overused his magic a bit and needs some time to rest. We should stay here for a while."

Natsu's excitement disappeared after hearing her words.

Lisanna noticed the dragonslayer's change in mood and came up with another idea: "Well, you two could go ahead. I'll stay with Nat and we then follow you as soon as possible."

"Is that really ok?" Natsu asked.

"Yes." Lisanna nodded. "But please be careful."

"Don't worry, I'll protect Natsu." Happy added determined. Then he activated his wings and he and Natsu flew off.

Lisanna watched after them and then turned back to ship, where Nat was resting. 'I hope you're alright again soon' she thought.

After a while Lisanna noticed some flies that had whirred around the location. Feeling watched by the insects made her feel uneasy. So she slowly approached them and they flew away. Realizing that all flies headed towards the same direction, Lisanna decided to follow them and transformed into a little fly.

Lisanna followed the flies in the forest where a swarm of them had gathered and transformed back in the fly-woman Musca. "Who are you and why did you observe us?" Lisanna transformed back into her human form.

Musca flew away without answering.

Being worried about Nat's safety, Lisanna decided to return instead of chasing her anymore.

-…-

Meanwhile Lucy, Loki and Taurus were confronted by Zoldeo, Capricorn and Ursa Major.

"Taurus, please take care of Lucy." Loki said while opposing Capricorn on his own.

"Of course. I will protect Lucy-san." Taurus confronted Ursa.

"Let's fight together." Lucy took out her whip in order to assist her spirit while Zoldeo stayed in the background leaving the fighting to his servant.

Ursa charged at Taurus. "Allioth Crush!" Her powerful punch was blocked by Taurus who used the handle of his giant battle axe as a shield. Nevertheless he was pushed back by the pressure of the attack.

Lucy swung her whip towards the opponent and managed to bind the right arm of the muscular woman. "Now, Taurus!" she hold Ursa for Taurus to finish her off and the bull started to attack. Suddenly Lucy felt weakening without reason. Ursa used the chance and dragged the whip making Lucy stumbling into Taurus.

"Kyah!" Lucy and Taurus fell to the ground.

Loki was fighting evenly against Capricorn, but noticing that Lucy was in trouble made him careless. Capricorn charged at him fast and hit Loki hard with a kick in the stomach. "Guahh!" Loki was sent flying to the ground.

"You don't have any chance." the goat commented. "Additionally to summoning celestial spirits, Zoldeo-sama uses a Lost Magic that reduces the power of any human being in the area. Since we spirits aren't affected, only that girl is weakened and as long as she is in danger, you'll keep being distracted."

"Stop your blabbering, you traitor." Loki got up again and concentrated his magic in the ring. "Regulus! Give me your power!" the ring glared stronger and stronger.

Capricorn was unaffected by the light and kicked his opponent again to ground. "Your attack doesn't have any effect on me. Did you forget that I'm wearing sunglasses?" the goat spotted.

"Keh ... I wasn't aiming for you." Loki answered in pain. Capricorn turned around and noticed that Ursa and Zoldeo had been blinded instead. Now Lucy and Taurus had the advantage to defeat them.

-…-

Unaware of the fierce battle Natsu and Happy discovered some old ruins from the air. They landed in order to explore the place. "I guess this place hadn't been in use for a very long time." Natsu realized. "We won't find a dragon here. We should go on." he seemed to be disappointed.

"But Natsu, look!" Happy called excited and pointed towards a row of stone tablets with pictures on them.

The first one showed a black, serpent like dragon that was praised by humans.

The second one demonstrated the dragon ascending to the stars.

On the third tablet the dragon was shown returning back to earth.

The next one pictured the dragon fighting against the King of Stars and being defeated.

The filth and last tablet showed the dragon's worshippers being defeated by their enemies. But before their downfall the last survivors managed to hide two important objects in different places. One looked like a crown and the other one was a big mosaicked ashlar.

Natsu was amazed by finally finding a trace of the dragons.

"KYAHH!" suddenly Natsu heard common cries of a girl from far away. "This can't be but it sounds like Lucy is crying."

"Are you sure? I didn't hear anything." Happy commented. "Although my ears are not as good as yours, why should she be on this island?" Then there was a second cry. This time Happy was able to hear it as well. "Let's see what's going on." Natsu suggested and Happy agreed nodding.

-…-

A FEW MOMENTS EARLIER

With the help of Loki, Lucy and Taurus were able to overpower Ursa Major. Taurus was about to take out the finishing blow with his battle axe. Suddenly before striking the opponent he stopped and didn't move anymore.

"What's the matter, Taurus?" Lucy was confused by the strange behavior of her spirit.

"This is the power of Corona Australis, a lost celestial item that slowly takes control over any spirit summoned for a longer time." Zoldeo explained revealing a coronet that was hidden under his headband. "Taurus, kill that girl!" he ordered.

Taurus turned to Lucy and attacked her with his axe.

"KYAAHH!" the blond mage was able to avoid the strike but stumbled and fell to the ground.

Taurus started another attack which Lucy wouldn't have been able to dodge. In the last second Loki gathered his strength, pushed Capricorn aside and shot a beam breaking the handle of the battle axe. "I won't let that happen! Lucy, you must run while I am taking care of these guys!"

Suddenly he was impaled in the back by Capricorn's punch. "Your resistance is futile. The weaker you get the sooner you'll be influenced by Corona's power as well." the goat spirit remarked.

"LOKIII! NOOO!" Lucy cried desperate. She realized that she was now surrounded by Ursa, Taurus, Capricorn and Zoldeo while Loki collapsed.

"Stop!" Loki shouted lying on the ground severely wounded. "Capricorn! Taurus! Get hold of yourself!" He then felt an itching pain in his head. "ARRGGH!" After the headache was over, he slowly managed to get up again and drew off the attention of the spirits.

"Loki, you're alright?" Lucy asked in a whining tone.

"It's too late, Lucy." Loki commented with a strange voice. As he raised his head, his manically looking eyes and his evil grin revealed that he wasn't himself anymore.

"Finally he's fallen victim to Corona as well." Zoldeo noticed.

"This can't be true!" Lucy said in desperate voice while tears ran down her cheeks. She felt completely helpless right now. She wasn't able to summon another spirit as long as Taurus was still there.

Suddenly a shadow appeared from the sky above her. "Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" Natsu came falling from the sky. He swung both hands around and released a fire circle around him and Lucy forcing the opponents to jump back for avoiding the flames.

"I don't know what's going on here, but I won't allow you to hurt my friend!" Natsu proclaimed with an angry voice.

"Aye!" Happy added landing next to him.

"Natsu! Happy!" Lucy was surprised but relieved seeing her friends.

"More intruders?!" Zoldeo reacted in an annoyed tone. "We'll retreat for the moment. Leo, I'll leave it to you." he commanded the manipulated Loki.

Loki focused the light of his ring making Natsu, Lucy and Happy covering their eyes. Afterwards Zoldeo and the spirits had already disappeared.

"Why the hell are Loki and the bull together with these guys?" Happy wondered but Lucy was unable to answer and collapsed.

"Lucy!" Natsu reacted worried. He carried her in his arms. "We should go back to the ruins resting there for a moment." he suggested.

"Aye." Happy agreed. "And I'll go warning the others." he said referring to Lisanna and Nat and flew off.

-…-

Lisanna was still guarding the ship when Nat finally woke up. "Sorry, Lisanna. I took some time for recovering."

"That doesn't matter. The main thing is, that you're well again." the white haired girl responded. "Natsu and Happy have already gone exploring the island. We should hurry and follow them. Something strange is going on here."

"Alright." Nat used his de-quipping-magic to make the airship disappear. "Then let's go."

Lisanna and Nat headed towards the forest unknowing what dangers would await them.

-…-

In the meantime Janus had finally left his hideout. After all he had to fulfill his task finding and killing the renegade member of his organization, who was apparently allied with Zoldeo now. 'Whatever they're planning, I need to stop them. I have to prevent the fatal confrontation with the Salamander, no matter what!' with these thoughts he headed towards meeting his fate.

* * *

><p>I hope the chapter wasn't too confusing. The next one is leading the strings together.<p>

Next chapter: The gate of the star dragon spirit


	22. Chapter 22: The gate of the star dragon

This chapter has finally some action for Lisanna and Nat (Natsu Dragion). I hope I'm still good at writing battle scenes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p>… <em>Lucy was unable to answer and collapsed.<em>

"_Lucy!" Natsu reacted worried. He carried her in his arms. "We should go back to the ruins resting there for a moment." he suggested._

"_Aye." Happy agreed. "And I'll go warning the others."_

_-…-_

_Lisanna and Nat headed towards the forest unknowing what dangers would await them._

_-…-_

_In the meantime Janus had finally left his hideout. … 'I have to prevent the fatal confrontation with the Salamander, no matter what!' with these thoughts he headed towards meeting his fate._

Chapter 22: The gate of the star dragon spirit

After mind controlling the celestial spirits Leo and Taurus with the lost magic item Corona Australis, Zoldeo returned to the base of his operation. In the center of a clearing, deep inside the tropical forest, was a big mosaicked ashlar. On the four side walls it pictured a black serpent-like dragon that snaked around it. On the top it showed a cruciform key surrounded by several stars. Around the ashlar stood fourteen pillars that were emitting a pale light towards the sky.

Musca who had returned from her mission meanwhile, was already waiting.

"You did well capturing two new spirits." an old man's voice came from inside the stone. Several black tentacles appeared from the top and combined to large black mass. The clump slowly transformed into a human appearance. It was an old man with short silver-grey hair, wearing a long, black cloak and a patch over his left eye. He was the identical offspring of Netsrac, the leader of the Roots of Order. From his hands and feet several tentacles were still connected to the ashlar and the ground around it - like the roots of a tree.

"But I wasn't able to defeat all the intruders yet, master." Zoldeo bowed down to him. He was still accompanied by Leo, Capricorn, Taurus and Ursa Major.

"The ritual is almost completed." right after the master said these words, Taurus dissolved into light, as if his gate was closed. But instead the light was sucked into one of the pillars. "You can send Ursa and Musca to defeat the rest of the intruders and use Microscobium for support. The other two spirits stay here for guarding this place." he said pointing at Leo and Capricorn.

-…-

Natsu had carried the unconscious Lucy back to the ruins, where the story of an ancient dragon was pictured in five stone tablets. Natsu still wondered if he would be able to find a trace of the dragons on this island.

"Um." Lucy slowly woke up again. A bit confused she looked around unable to remember the location. Little by little she recalled the battle of the celestial spirits and realized that Loki and Taurus had gone.

"Lucy! Are you alright?" the dragon slayer turned to her after noticing that Lucy was finally awake again.

"Natsu." Lucy recalled that he was the one saving her from the precarious situation. "I'm glad to see you here."

"What the hell have you and Loki to do on this island? Are you after the dragon as well?" Natsu wanted to know.

"Dragon?" Lucy didn't get yet what her companion was talking about. "No, we have been investigating the spirits that had gone missing lately." A tear rolled over her left cheek. "And now even Loki and Taurus have been captured." She hesitated for a moment. "Natsu, I don't know exactly, why you are here but we need your help."

"Well, originally I came on this island with Lisanna and Nat, because I thought I could find some information about the dragons." he explained.

'He is here together with Lisanna?' Lucy thought wondering about the relationship between Natsu and the white haired girl. Since meeting her during the events in the Lycanoo-forest she knew that Lisanna was a nice person. Lucy had already noticed that there was a deeper relation between them since the past. These thoughts somehow made her feel uncomfortable. But for the moment saving the spirits was more important.

"Don't worry, Lucy." Natsu continued. "Of course I'll help you." he promised smiling.

"Ok." the encouraging words of the dragon slayer made Lucy's uneasiness disappear a bit.

-…-

Lisanna and Nat followed a path through the forest trying to find Natsu and Happy.

"Wouldn't it be easier to use our magic to fly and search them from the air?" Nat wanted to know. "After resting I could easily summon my air board. This way we would be much faster."

"I guess that's too dangerous." Lisanna objected. "There might be enemies on this island." she explained referring to Musca the fly woman, who had apparently been observing them back at the air ship. "I hope Natsu and Happy are alright."

"Didn't you tell me that Natsu is pretty strong? Back at the ship, the cat said the same." he was referring to Happy. "You shouldn't worry about them that much." Nat tried to cheer up his friend. But at same time he thought about his long lost twin brother Natsu. Ever since they had met again at FT they hadn't been able to speak things out. Additionally their father Katsu Dragion had just recently died before he had been able to clear the circumstances.

Suddenly something broke through the trees in front of them. It was Ursa Major, the big, muscular woman, wearing a bearskin. She immediately attacked Lisanna and Nat with a strong punch.

Both were hardly able to jump back avoiding the attack.

"Uah! What the hell is this?" Nat was surprised by the sudden appearance of an enemy.

"I don't know but she probably belongs to that fly woman I met earlier." Lisanna suspected. "She's obviously an opponent we have to defeat."

Ursa charged another punch, this time in the direction of Lisanna.

Lisanna's used her take over magic and transformed into the Tigress. With her enhanced reflexes she was easily able to dodge this strike of the bear woman as well. Lisanna charged at Ursa from the right front and hit her with the left claw across the face. But unfortunately the scratch was blocked by parts the bear skin's head.

Nat used the chance to summon his air board and tried to attack the opponent from the air.

Suddenly he was deranged by a swarm of flies surrounding him. Behind him the flies then transformed into the woman Musca, who kicked Nat off the board. "Aahh!" he fell into the wood.

"Nat!" Lisanna was distracted and was hit by another punch of Ursa, which sent her flying back. With a flic-flac she was able to avoid falling to the ground and landed on her feet. Again Ursa headed towards Lisanna and started a stronger attack. "Allioth Crush!" Before she was hit by this critical strike, Lisanna transformed into the Adamant-Turtle and hid her body inside the shell. Nevertheless she was thrown back into the wood.

-…-

Happy was searching for Lisanna and Nat in order to warn them from the enemy. He couldn't know that they had already been confronted by the spirits Ursa Major and Musca. Accidently he discovered the clearing where Zoldeo and his master had captured the missed celestial spirits. Hiding behind the trees he was able to overhear their conversation.

"Do you have any news from your subordinates yet?" the master wanted to know.

"Right now they should be fighting against the intruders." Zoldeo answered. "With the help of Microscobium, Ursa can increase her power to maximum. The opponents won't be able to stand a chance." the stellar mage explained.

'Is he talking about Lisanna and Nat?!' Happy thought worried. 'I have to warn them!' he decided.

"Good. The gate of the dragon will finally open soon." the master revealed.

'D-dragon?' Happy was shocked. He couldn't believe but apparently the enemy was trying to summon that terrifying creature. 'I need to hurry back to Natsu and tell him about this. But first I have to find Lisanna.' he thought flying off.

-…-

[Nat vs. Musca and Lisanna vs. Ursa]

Nat was in the disadvantage fighting against the agile fly woman. 'Somehow I have to get back to my air board.' he thought while trying hard to block her attacks. 'That's the only chance I have in order to keep up with her speed.'

Meanwhile Lisanna had retransformed into her human form. With her adamantine turtle shell she had been able to withstand the strongest punch of the bearskin wearing woman but she felt still dizzy from being thrown back. 'Ugh, somehow everything is spinning around me.' she thought not noticing that Ursa had already approached her.

Ursa was now standing right in front of Lisanna trying to grab her between both hands.

Luckily Lisanna stumbled to the side and avoided the attack. 'It's no use.' she thought coming back to her senses again. 'I can't defeat her like this.' the white haired girl transformed her arms into bird wings and flew over to Nat.

Musca was still overpowering Nat with her speed and agility. Suddenly Lisanna charged at her from the back and kicked her from the air. But the fly woman's compound eyes had already spotted the attempt. Musca avoided the kick by transforming into multiple little flies.

"Thank you, Lisanna." Nat used the break and attempted to get his air board back. He then noticed that Ursa wasn't beaten and approached them. "But what's with the other one?"

"Let's switch places." Lisanna suggested. The flies gathered and transformed into the human body. "I'm going to take care of this one." Lisanna decided and flew off into the sky. As anticipated, Musca was following her.

Nat and Ursa stayed down on the ground. "Well, if you're not as half as fast as your companion, you've already lost." he proclaimed turning to the muscular woman. First he put on a black leather glove on his right fist. Then he re-quipped one jet of his air ship and attached it to his right arm. At last he pulled his goggles over his eyes and prepared for his attack.

Ursa prepared for her Allioth Crush as well.

"Jet Hammer!" using the repulsion, Nat launched a critical punch right into Ursa's stomach before she could react. The big woman was sent flying far into the back disappearing in the wood.

-…-

The fight between Lisanna and Musca continued up in the sky. Musca tried to attack Lisanna who was flying higher and higher, but the fly woman finally gave up. She watched after Lisanna who seemed to disappear into the sun bit by bit.

After a while a small shadow reappeared but grew bigger fast. Having fully transformed into a falcon Lisanna came nose-diving towards her opponent.

But the attack missed Musca who just felt a sharp draft of air across her body. One moment later she realized being severely cut. The celestial spirit was defeated and dispersed into light. The light didn't return to the stellar dimension but was sucked up by one of the pillars at the enemie's location.

In midair Lisanna retransformed being exhausted by the fight, lost consciousness and fell down towards the ground.

-…-

Lying on his back Nat was resting from his fight against Ursa Major. "Lisanna should have finished her opponent as well." he talked to himself watching the sky. Then he noticed something was falling down. "Lisanna?!" he realized that something was wrong and went up. He intended to summon his air board in order to save his friend from hitting the ground.

Suddenly a blue cat flew past him fast. Happy appeared and was able to catch Lisanna at her shirt before she reached the ground.

"Happy?" Lisanna regained consciousness and recognized her savior.

"Aye!" Happy replied. "I've found you finally."

-…-

Back at the ruins Natsu had shown the five tablets to Lucy.

"It's a dragon of the stars … a celestial spirit?!" Lucy concluded studying the pictures.

"Well, I hoped I would be able to meet a real dragon here." Natsu was disappointed.

"According to these tablets it could be both …" Lucy explained. "However, I'm afraid that the disappearance of the spirits is connected to the dragon somehow. This guy, who attacked me and captured Loki and Taurus, is a celestial spirit mage." she said referring to Zoldeo.

"You think he wants to summon the dragon?" Natsu asked getting excited.

"As far as I know such a key doesn't exist." Lucy said meditatively. "We need to find the one who captured the spirits. After all we have to save Loki and the others before something bad will happen."

"Yeah …" Natsu hesitated for a moment. Rescuing the spirits could mean that he wouldn't be able to meet the dragon in the end. "You're right." he finally decided. "We can't wait for Happy and the others anymore."

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Salamander-sama." a man's voice suddenly appeared from behind the stone tablets. "I couldn't help but to overhear your conversation." it was Janus who had been hiding at the ruins for a while now. 'At least, I finally have a clue, what the master's double and Zoldeo are after.' he thought to himself.

"Who the hell are you?" Natsu wanted to know preparing for a battle.

"I'm not your enemy." Janus intervened. "I'm on your side." he stated. '… well, at least for today …' he thought to himself.

"I'm not sure if we should trust him." Lucy doubted. "His appearance and behavior makes him pretty suspicious."

"It's up to you to believe me or not. I just came in order to warn you, Salamander-sama: If you don't leave this island, you won't be able to stay with your friends!"

* * *

><p>Janus confronts Natsu with a shocking relevation. But what's the truth behind his warning? Stay tuned for the next chapter.<p>

Next chapter: Confrontation


	23. Chapter 23: Confrontation

There is again much fighting in this chapter - well the title says it already.

If there is any confusion about how Nat's magic works, please feel free to ask me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>[Nat vs. Ursa Major] <em>

"_Jet Hammer!" using the repulsion Nat launched a critical punch right into Ursa's stomach before she could react. The big woman was sent flying far into the back disappearing in the wood._

_-…-_

_[Lisanna vs. Musca] Having fully transformed into a falcon Lisanna came nose-diving towards her opponent. But the attack missed Musca who just felt a sharp draft of air across her body. One moment later she realized being severely cut. […] In midair Lisanna retransformed being exhausted by the fight, lost consciousness and fell down towards the ground._

_-…-_

_Happy appeared and was able to catch Lisanna at her shirt before she reached the ground._

"_Happy?" Lisanna regained consciousness and recognized her savior._

"_Aye!" Happy replied. "I've found you finally."_

_-…-_

_Back at the ruins Natsu had shown the five tablets to Lucy._

"_It's a dragon of the stars … a celestial spirit?!"_

_-…-_

_[Janus encountered Natsu and Lucy]_

"_It's up to you to believe me or not. I just came in order to warn you, Salamander-sama: If you don't leave this island, you won't be able to stay with your friends!"_

Chapter 23: Confrontation

"What?!" Natsu was confused about the mask guy's revelation. "I don't know who you are and what you want but you better get out of our way." the dragon slayer warned him determined clenching his fists.

"Natsu …" Lucy tried to calm him down. "Why would you know what is going to happen to Natsu." the blond girl wanted to know.

"Well, my _Second Voice_ told me about it." the masked guys answer was even more unbelievable. "I don't know any details but the upcoming confrontation will result in you being forced to leave your friends forever."

"Don't screw with me!" Natsu shouted charging at Janus with right fist burning.

Janus simply avoided the attack by jumping on one of the stone tablets. "If you really want to go that badly, I won't stay in your way." Janus responded. "I don't intend fighting you at all." Janus turned around in order to leave. "But you'll remember my words, when the time comes." With these words the mysterious man disappeared behind the tablets again.

Natsu went after him immediately only to find out that he was already gone.

"Who was this man? What is the meaning of his words?" Lucy wondered worriedly. "What are we going to do now?"

"We are going to rescue Loki and the other spirits of course. I myself determine my future." Natsu decided. "There's no time to be worried about this guy's nonsense."

"You're right." Lucy agreed. "I can feel where the spirits are held captured." she showed the direction and the both set off.

-…-

"Musca was defeated …" Zoldeo realized shocked, when the spiritual light was sucked into one of the pillars surrounding the ashlar.

"It doesn't matter." his master and offspring of Netsrac responded. "The gate will open soon, after the sun sets. Until that time you and the remaining spirits should be able to hold off any intruders." he said referring to Leo, Capricorn, Ursa Major and Microscopium.

-…-

Meanwhile Happy had explained to Lisanna and Nat, that they had been fighting against celestial spirits and that their enemies – Zoldeo and his master – were planning to summon the dragon spirit.

"So this was what my father had discovered on this island." Nat concluded. "He probably didn't have any idea that there was an enemy after the dragon as well and in the end he was attacked and died." he concluded frowning.

"If our opponents are about to summon the dragon, we should find Natsu and Lucy and leave this island as soon as possible." Lisanna suggested. "Even as a dragon slayer I wonder if Natsu is already strong enough to defeat a real one."

"You shouldn't underestimate Natsu." Happy intervened. "He was totally excited being finally able to meet a dragon again."

"Do you think, he could have already gone ahead?" Nat worried.

"Yeah, that would be typical for him." Lisanna recalled the Natsu she had known more than two years ago. "We should hurry to the enemy's location and stop him."

"I know the way. Follow me!" At first Happy flew off.

Lisanna and Nat were about to go after him but suddenly Ursa Major appeared behind the trees. The bearskin wearing woman put her hands together over the head and rammed them down in order to smash her opponents.

Lisanna and Nat had to jump away from each other in order to dodge the attack. The spirit was now standing between them. Nat noticed that Happy was still going ahead unaware of the intruder. "Lisanna! You go after Happy while I take care of the opponent!" he ordered.

"But …" the white haired girl hesitated.

"If you don't go now, you won't be able to catch up with the cat." Nat argued. "This time I'll defeat her for sure and afterwards can find you with the help of the location transmitter." he took a black crystal out of his pocket. It was similar to the one they had been using to find the way to this island.

Lisanna nodded agreeing, transformed her arms into wings and went after Happy as fast as possible.

Ursa turned her attention towards the pink haired guy. "You smell similar to that old guy who visited this island some time ago." she started to talk.

"Don't tell me, that you were the one who killed my father and his team." Nat realized shocked.

"Well, it was an order of my master." Ursa responded. "I wasn't able to disobey, just as I can't reject my current order to eliminate you now."

"Don't mind that I won't go easy on you as well." Nat replied angered.

A long, cylindrical object and a round platform framing glass were floating vertical aligned above the woman. A smaller, cylindrical object – the objective – came out on the bottom side of the larger one. It shot a light through the glass in the platform towards Ursa standing beneath.

Visibly surprised, Nat watched the spirit growing bigger and bigger until it was twice as huge as before. Not only its size but its strength seemed to have increased as well.

-…-

Feeling the location of the spirits, Lucy and Natsu finally found the clearing, where the mosaicked ashlar was surrounded by pillars. "It somehow looks like the ruins with the stone tablets." Natsu noticed.

"We have to be careful. Our enemy must be nearby." Lucy was focused on the surrounding area.

"So, you've finally found this place." Zoldeo greeted appearing between two pillars in front of them. He was accompanied by the celestial spirits Leo and Capricorn, who were under the control of his magic item Corona Australis.

"Loki!" Lucy called her comrade. "Are you alright?"

"You're worrying about your opponent?" Loki simply remarked. "You should better be worried about yourself. The master has already ordered us to kill you." Loki charged towards Lucy and was about to hit her with his right fist, which was engulfed into light.

Jumping in the way Natsu was able to catch the attack with his right hand, which was engulfed by fire. "So you seriously intend to harm your comrade?!" Natsu knew that Loki was not himself but tried to appeal to his last sense of friendship. "In that case, I am your opponent." The fire in his right hand was burning even stronger.

Loki managed to free his hand by pulling it back forcefully.

"We have to focus on the guy with the headband. He is the one controlling Loki and Capricorn." Lucy explained to the dragon slayer.

"Alright!" Natsu charged at Loki and hit him to the ground. "I'll take care of the spirits, while you defeat this guy." he immediately headed towards the goat.

Lucy used the chance and headed towards Zoldeo releasing her whip. She tried to hit Corona that was hidden under the headband but her whip was caught by Capricorn before reaching the opponent. 'What? What happened to Natsu?!' she wondered turning around to the dragon slayer and realized that he was being overpowered by Loki.

Capricorn used her inattention and kicked her in the stomach. "Kyaahh!" Lucy was sent flying back to the ground.

"Lucy!" Natsu tried to get up in order to help his friend but was hit by Loki again. "Ugh. What the hell is going on here?!" he realized that his power had been decreased.

"It's similar as the last time." Lucy slowly managed to get up again realizing her power decreasing as well. "He uses a Lost Magic that weakens the physical and magical condition of his opponents. But it doesn't affect celestial spirits." Lucy remembered her last fight against Zoldeo.

"That's right." Zoldeo commented. "And combined with my absolute control over the spirits, I am unbeatable now."

Seeing that Capricorn was about to attack her again, Lucy grabbed her key but hesitated summoning Scorpio. She knew that he could easily fall under the control of the enemy as well.

Natsu jumped in the air: "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" The flames surrounded Loki, who was able to dissolve them easily with the magic of his ring. But Natsu only intended to distract his opponent and turned towards Capricorn, who was attacking Lucy. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" the dragon slayer released a wave of fire from his mouth.

Capricorn noticed the attempt in time and dodged the attack by jumping high in the air. From there he continued his attack and prepared his kick towards Lucy using the falling speed.

The blond girl wasn't ready to dodge yet. Suddenly she felt something dragging at the back of her shirt. "Uahhh?! What's going on now?" she wondered being carried in the air. Thus Capricorn's kick missed her.

"That was close." Lucy heard a common female voice from behind. She turned around finding out that it was Lisanna in her half-bird mode who had rescued her in the last second. "I'm glad, that we made it in time." the white haired girl smiled at Lucy.

"Regulus Impact!" Loki concentrated the light of his ring and charged at Natsu.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" the dragon slayer charged at his opponent as well. Their fists crashed into each other but Natsu was pushed back by the impact. While getting up again, Natsu released a second roar towards Loki.

"Regulus King Strike!" Loki shot a devastating beam in form of a lion's head, which swallowed the dragon slayer's flame.

Before Natsu was hit by the attack, he was dragged out of the way. "Happy!" he recognized his savior.

-…-

[Nat vs. Ursa Major & Microscopium]

In the last second Nat was able to avoid the destructive punch of the gigantic Ursa by escaping on his air board. He noticed that the other opponent had changed its position above the bearskin wearing woman. A second beam by Microscopium caused Ursa to grow even bigger. Now she was almost as high as the trees around her. She charged another punch at Nat. Even in the air he troubles to get out of the way. "Are you going to run away like the other one?" she asked mockingly referring to Nat's father.

After this comment Nat decided to defeat his opponents definitely. At first he turned to Microscopium: "Wheel Discs!" Nat summoned two wheels and threw them at the cylindrical celestial spirit. The hit affected Microscopium's floating ability and it was forced to land behind Ursa.

Next he turned to the giant. He changed his board in a vertical position and jumped headfirst towards Ursa while de-quipping the board again. In the air he re-quipped two jets, attached them to both arms and finally pulled his goggles down over his eyes. "Double Jet Crash!" using the repulsion he charged at his opponent with insane speed and hit the giant in the chest.

The collision caused Nat losing his consciousness and falling down to the ground.

Ursa Major was still standing seemingly unhurt. A moment later she passed out too, lost her balance and fell to the back, landing onto Microscopium. Both spirits were defeated and dissolved into light.

-…-

[Natsu & Happy vs. Loki]

Weakened by the effect of Zoldeo's magic, Natsu was receiving one hit after the other. But at the same time it seemed as if he didn't really intend to fight against his comrade. Happy wanted to assist his friend but had been ordered to stay back.

"Why are holding back?" Loki wanted know.

"So, you've realized it." Natsu replied. "This fight is pointless."

"What do you mean?!"

"Come back to your senses and remember your comrades!" Natsu appealed to Loki.

"Your attempts are usele…" Loki wanted to say but felt his head starting to ache. "Ugh! What's wrong with me?" he wondered. "I can't disobey the master's order."

"Then I'll help you and beat you to your senses." Natsu attacked Loki and punched him on the head.

-…-

[Lisanna & Lucy vs. Capricorn]

Lisanna had transformed into the Tigress and was fighting almost on a par against Capricorn. Somehow she wasn't as much affected by Zoldeo's magic. Nevertheless she had to try hard to keep up with the goat's speed.

Capricorn went to the side avoiding one of her scratches and kicked Lisanna in the side of her stomach.

"Kyah!" Lisanna fell to the ground. There she noticed Lucy's whip lying in the gras. "Lucy!" she called to the blond girl and threw the whip over to her.

"Alright!" Lucy used Capricorn's distraction and managed to bind him with her whip.

Lisanna noticed that Lucy wouldn't be able to keep him back for long. But it was enough time to defeat Zoldeo, who was controlling the spirits.

Zoldeo realized that Lisanna was heading for him. "Why the hell doesn't my Human Subordination Magic work on you?"

"I'm a Take Over Mage. I don't have only a human soul." Lisanna stated. While attacking, she transformed her right arm: "Crab Claw!"

* * *

><p>With combined powers, our friends are about to defeat the enemy. Well, the next chapter will show ...<p>

Next chapter: Sunset


	24. Chapter 24: Sunset

I managed to update sooner than expected. I hope you like the turn of events throughout this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>[Natsu &amp; Happy vs. Loki]<em>

"_Come back to your senses and remember your comrades!" Natsu appealed to Loki._

"_Your attempts are usele…" Loki wanted to say but felt his head starting to ache. "Ugh! What's wrong with me?" he wondered. "I can't disobey the master's order."_

"_Then I'll help you and beat you to your senses." Natsu attacked Loki and punched him on the head._

_-…-_

_[Lisanna & Lucy vs. Capricorn]_

"_Alright!" Lucy used Capricorn's distraction and managed to bind him with her whip. …_

_Zoldeo realized that Lisanna was heading for him. "Why doesn't my Human Subordination Magic work on you?"_

"_I'm a Take Over Mage. I don't have only a human soul." While attacking, Lisanna transformed her right hand: "Crab Claw!"_

Chapter 24: Sunset

"Oh no!" Zoldeo tried to dodge Lisanna's attack. He ducked down but Lisanna's crab claw still hit his headband. The band fell down and revealed the magic item Corona Australis having a deep scratch on it.

After being knocked down by Natsu, Loki was still kneeling on the ground. "You're right. I'm really sorry." he felt that the control of Corona was weakening. He used the chance to get up and fired a light beam towards Zoldeo. The beam hit the coronet destroying it.

Capricorn was able to release himself from Lucy's whip. He also wasn't controlled anymore and stopped his attacks.

"Phew. It looks like it's finally over." Lucy mentioned relieved. She looked over to Natsu noticing that he was pretty out of breath from his fight against Loki.

-…-

From behind the trees Janus was watching the scene.

'Those idiots!' he thought. 'Don't they realize that their true enemy is still hiding in the background?' he referred to Netsrac's double who hadn't made his appearance yet. 'If I only knew where he is …'

His attention then turned to Lisanna. It was the first time he saw her in a completely human appearance. 'Th-this girl … sh-she almost looks like …' he stammered breathless. Janus hesitated a moment pulling himself together. 'My _Second Voice_ didn't tell me that I would meet HER on this island.' he had apparently calmed down again but his heart was still beating fast.

-…-

"Th-this can't be!" Zoldeo stammered sweating. "How could they defeat my unbeatable tactic?" he realized being surrounded by the team.

"You better tell us, how we can release the remaining spirits." Natsu adviced him and prepared to beat the shit out of the celestial mage.

"Damn you, I'm not done yet!" Zoldeo put his hands in front of him and summoned multiple armored warriors appearing in the air.

"Open the gate of Scorpio!" Lucy summoned the scorpion who used his Sand Buster to blast some of the opponents away. With combined efforts the knights were easily defeated by the three spirits and Natsu.

"Zoldeo, you bastard! You've failed!" an angered voiced came from the stone in the centre of the pillars. Multiple black tentacles suddenly appeared and charged at the team very fast.

"Watch out!" Happy warned the others avoiding the attack with his agility.

"Natsu!" Loki realized that the dragon slayer was exhausted from the battle and wasn't ready to defend himself. Thus the celestial spirit got in the way and guarded him with his body. The same did Scorpio shielding Lucy and Capricorn being stabbed in the back in order to save Lisanna. In the result the spirits were hit seriously and started to dissolve into light.

"I'm sorry, that it has come to this." Loki apologized to a shocked Natsu. "But I know, I can leave the rest in your hands." Natsu agreed nodding while Loki disappeared with a smile.

"You saved me …" Lisanna realized taken aback while Capricorn started to disappear. In his last moment the goat took her hand. A part of his light was floating into Lisanna's body. "Please protect Lucy-sama." Capricorn requested before dissolving completely.

"Scorpio! Loki! Capricorn!" Lucy cried watching the spirits vanishing. Their light was sucked up by the pillars surrounding the ashlar. "Who are you and why are you doing this to my friends?"

The tentacles drew Zoldeo, who had been killed by the attack, in the area between the pillars. Then they gathered inside the dead body. Suddenly Zoldeo got up again. His whole body turned into black, formless mass and then slowly took the form of human being again – Netsrac's offspring appeared in front of the team.

"Ugh!" Lisanna got sick by watching the process.

"Who is this guy? Is this thing even human?" Happy commented with horror.

"All I know is that we have to defeat him in order to save Loki and the others." Natsu replied angered.

"You can't defeat me. I was originally created as an identical offspring of master Netsrac and bear the same powers. But I escaped to this place in order to gain my freedom." the old man explained. "Unfortunately I wasn't able keep up my human form for long. Then I was confronted by Zoldeo, defeated him and found a way to get a new immortal body."

"Immortal?" Lucy wondered. "Don't tell me that you intend to use the dragon spirit's body as a host? There's no way that we will let you do as you please!"

"Aye!" Happy added. "Earlier I overheard him saying that the gate will open soon. So we just need to defeat him before that happens."

"So he really wants to summon the dragon?!" Lucy remembered the pictures of the stone tablets. "But as long as I know without a key, the gate can't be opened?!"

"Key? The gate of Draco, the dragon, can only be opened by the lost item Ara, the altar." the opponent revealed pointing to the stone ashlar. "I didn't expect to find this legendary object on this island. By using the stellar mage Zoldeo, who already possessed the Corona Australis, I was able to reactivate the ritual. When the sun sets I can finally sacrifice the spirits in order to summon the strongest of them again."

Natsu didn't hesitate anymore and charged at the opponent with his right fist burning. When passing between two pillars he was abruptly stopped by an invisible barrier. "What is this?" Natsu wanted to know pushing with his face and hands against the wall. "I can't move any further."

"Magic runes!" Happy realized that the area was surrounded by a wall of letters.

"Of course I took some prevention, just in case. The gate will finally open when the sun sets." Netsrac's double explained. "I doubt that you will be able to break this barrier in time."

"You coward!" Natsu cursed unable to get through.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Lisanna wondered.

"I have to admit, it wasn't quite easy to cast this spell" Netsrac revealed as the rule appeared: 'Anything that is inside the runes can't be affected by the outside.' "However the rule is temporary and will be canceled at sunset."

"If we can't stop him, Loki and the other spirits will be sacrificed …" Lucy tried to find a solution desperately.

"Maybe I can do something about this." to the surprise of everyone, Janus appeared from behind the trees.

"You are Janus, the master's assassin. If you have come to kill me, you might be a bit to late." Netsrac stated.

'Who is this guy?' Lisanna saw the masked man for the first time. Somehow Janus was releasing a strange aura towards her and Lisanna wondered if she was the only one who could feel it.

"Hey, are you trying to get in our way again?" a furious Natsu and wanted to know confronting Janus.

"Don't worry, Salamander-sama. I came in order to help you as good as I can." Janus put his right forefinger and middle finger at the barrier and started to rewrite the formula. "My boss Albireo-sama advised me to prepare for such a situation. When the wall is dispelled, you can do as you please."

"You bastard!" Netsrac's double frowned. "In that case …" he initiated a magic formula on Ara which started to light up. The pillars around it started to gleam as well and released a strong light towards the sky.

"What? Is he already activating the spell?!" Lucy realized shocked.

"But the sun hasn't set yet." Happy was proving by flying over the trees.

"Although the right time hasn't come yet, I can already summon Draco temporarily." the offspring explained. "I just have to ensure that the gate isn't closed again before sunset.

The light of the pillars combined to a single, immense light pillar with the stone ashlar Ara in the centre. The team and Janus were thrown back by the enormous wave of magic released by the spell. When the light diminished again, a black hole was left in the sky. Two black, scaled claws grabbed though and pulled it more open.

Lisanna, Natsu, Lucy and Happy were stunned by the scene.

Next a long, black head and then the upper body of the snake-like dragon appeared through the hole. Its black scales were patterned by white star-like symbols. Its tail was already following through the gate but the middle and lower body weren't able to pass through yet. Nevertheless the extremely long dragon could already reach until the ground.

"GROOOAARR!" Draco released a growl that set everyone's teeth at edge. "The gate is finally opened again?! It had been centuries since I had been summoned to this dimension the last time." the dragon looked about the location and saw Lisanna, Lucy and Happy, who were unable to get up shaken in fear. "I can smell a celestial spirit mage." he got closer to Lucy. "Have you opened the gate?"

"Get away from my friends!" Natsu shouted charging at the dragon from the side and punched its head with his flaming fist. Draco was pushed back but didn't mind the attack. He didn't even seem to be harmed.

"That's strange." Janus commented to himself watching from the distance. "As a dragon slayer, Salamander-sama should be able to injure this creature at least a bit. It looks like we won't stand any chance against it. But as long as the gate hasn't opened completely yet, there's still a way to clos-URRGH!" Just in this moment Janus was hit in the chest by the end of the dragon's tail and flew back into the woods.

"The masked guy was just …" Lisanna saw the scene shocked.

"Ts! This small fry thought he could attack me from the behind. But my eyes can see everything what's going on around me." Draco revealed referring to the star-like designs all over his body. Some of them had small, black pupils temporarily.

"Fantastic!" Netsrac's double shouted out in amazement. "This is even more impressive than I've imagined." He put his hands in the air and released his black tentacles attacking the dragon. The tendrils went into the body of Draco by using its secondary eyes as weak spots. "THE BODY OF THE DRAGON WILL FINALLY BE MINE!" he shouted out in a manic way.

-…-

[At the same time at Fairy Tail]

A rather small, blind girl with short brown hair to her shoulders felt that her black crystal was reacting. It was Sophie, a friend of Lisanna, sister of Jean and former student of Fallen Phoenix. The crystal looked exactly like the one she had given to Lisanna before the quest and was now glowing in dark red.

'Lisanna?! She is in a life-threatening situation.' Sophie thought. 'Just what is Nat doing? It doesn't feel like he is in danger as well.' With her magic, the Bond of Heart, Sophie was connected one-sided to her friends Lisanna and Nat, although being far away from them. 'That's bad! I have to inform Chan-nii, although he hasn't woken up yet.' she referred to Jean who was still lying comatose in the hospital after having challenged Natsu.

-…-

[At an unknown location]

Jean was lying on his back in the midst of a vast plain of gras. He was watching the sky mainly overcastted by fast moving clouds in the colors purple, crimson and black. The wind was blowing strongly giving him bad vibes. It was like his presence here was unwanted. Nevertheless Jean didn't want leave this place.

Suddenly he noticed a light coming from the sky. In front of him appeared the ethereal image of Sophie. "Why did you come here?" her brother wanted to know.

"This place sure has changed since I came here the last time." Sophie noticed looking around. In her spiritual form she was able to see. "If I remember correctly the sun was shining and although there was a strong breeze, it didn't give me such bad vibes back then."

Jean didn't react, waiting for an answer.

"It's time for you to wake up." Sophie requested with a serious voice. "You must not stay here any longer."

"Hm…" Jean hesitated for a moment. "But I don't wanna…"

"It's not a question of what you want! If you stay here, in the end you'…"

"You don't get it." Jean interrupted his sister. "My own feelings prevent me from leaving this place. It's as if I am rejected but trapped here at the same time."

"Then you should think your true feelings over again." Sophie suggested making Jean wondering about what she was meaning by 'true feelings'. "What's with your feelings towards Lisanna?"

"Lisanna? I thought she's with Natsu now?" Jean recalled the situation when she had been shielding the dragon slayer who was about to be attacked by Jean. Although he couldn't remember the scene correctly, he had little doubts that there could be something wrong about it.

"Anyway, I can sense that Lisanna could need your help soon." Sophie revealed showing her crimson glowing crystal. "Otherwise you probably won't be able to see her ever again." she summoned an ethereal sword and cut through Jean's body, which started to dissolve into light. "I can only give you a push in the right direction." she commented watching the light being sucked up by the crystal. "I hope you're able to find the access to her heart in time."

* * *

><p>The two OC's had to return to the plot sooner or later. They'll play a more important role in the following arc.<p>

But at first there are still some chapters to go...

Next chapter: Sternradio


	25. Chapter 25: Sternradio

Due to the bad weather I have some time for writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>Summary: Despite the efforts of Lisanna, Natsu, Lucy, Happy and Janus, the mysterious Netsrac sacrificed the celestial spirits in order to open the gate of Draco, the star dragon spirit. Before finding a way to break the spell, Janus was defeated by a single strike of the dragon's tail. <em>

Chapter 25: Sternradio

While Natsu confronted the dragon in order to save Lisanna, Lucy and Happy, the mysterious offspring of Netsrac prepared for his final act. From the very start he had been planning to use the dragon's body as new host for his cursed soul. His black tentacles were already infiltrating the body using the dragon's secondary eyes as weak spots.

Even after receiving a punch of the dragon slayer, Draco didn't seem to be harmed at all. "Sorry, but I have to deal with you later." the dragon stated to Natsu. "There's another insect, that is starting to annoy me." he said referring to Netsrac. The dragon then moved his head to the person pulling the strings of the recent events. "Hey, you old fart! Just what exactly are you trying to do?"

"I was the one who opened your gate, you should thank me." the old man explained. "Soon you'll be my new body. Since I've already struck my roots into you, there's no more way to stop me."

"HU! HA! HA! HA! HA! HU! HU! HA! HA!" Draco started roaring with laughter. "Are all men as foolishly supercilious as you little fly, nowadays? Back in my time men used to worship me as a god – although I was maybe a bit of an exception. The other dragons preferred human beings as a snack."

For a little moment, Netsrac lost confidence in his plan. He felt, that something went wrong with his roots. The magic started to flow back in his body. It was not only his magic but the power of the dragon as well. Unable to take anymore, Netsrac's double died in one instant. His roots vanished as his dead body collapsed.

"Well, so much for that…" Draco turned his attention again towards the team.

"Incredible!" Lisanna remarked astonished. "He finished our enemy without actually doing anything?!"

"Aye! And even Natsu's attack couldn't injure the dragon." Happy added.

"However, as a dragon slayer I should be able to defeat him." Natsu stated.

"Please wait!" Lucy requested. "I want to talk with him. Maybe we don't need to fight him." she suggested gathering all her courage.

"Are you serious?" Happy wanted to know. "You might be eaten."

"That's not funny!" Lucy freaked out but Happy's comment seemed to make her fear disappear.

"Maybe, Lucy is right." Lisanna supported the idea. "I would prefer not having to fight against the dragon."

"Hey, what's all this blabbering about?" Draco interrupted the little conversation. "Ignoring me like this … are all men as disrespectful as you, nowadays? Back in my ti…"

"Yeah, yeah. We know it already." Natsu cut the sentence off. Lisanna, Lucy and Happy couldn't believe that he was talking to the dragon in such a rude way. "Anyway, my comrade here wants to ask you something." Natsu continued pointing to Lucy behind him.

"Um, well …" Lucy stepped forward hesitatingly. "The reason I wanted to talk to you … the celestial spirits are still trapped inside these pillars. I don't know exactly what will happen to them, when the sun sets. So, please release them before it's too late."

"Release the spirits?! Are you serious?" Draco reacted in a insulting way. "Didn't you know that I need their power in order to stay in this dimension?"

"Wh-what do you mean?!" with a shocked expression Lucy started to realize what the dragon's true intention was.

"Well, to put it simple: when the sun sets I'll have devoured the power of the spirits completely and can finally reside in this world again." the dragon spirit explained.

"But, there's no reason for you to stay here." Lisanna supported Lucy. "You've already finished off the manipulator who summoned you."

"You are a celestial spirit yourself, aren't you? I simply can't believe that you really intend to harm your fellow spirits." Lucy tried to appeal to him.

"You don't know anything!" Draco shouted angrily. "The celestial spirits are my worst enemies! At first I was a dragon of this dimension but there was a group of men who started to worship me as their god. I truly became one, when I was finally approved to become a celestial spirit – I was a dragon and immortal." the star dragon started to reveal his history.

His story seemed to match the pictures on the stone tablets, Lucy had seen in the ruins.

Draco continued: "But the celestial dimension already had a king. I didn't agree with his reign and challenged him for the throne. This coward was supported by his fellow spirits and together they defeated me. I was forbidden to return to the celestial dimension but as a spirit I couldn't survive here for long. So I returned to my worshippers and gave them the magic of Ara and Corona Australis. They trapped spirits, who I could devour in order to increase my lifespan. Finally the king of stars and his allies tried to stop me once and for all. They banned me into a separate, dark star dimension, where I should live for all eternity without contact to any living creature. During the conflict the items Ara and Corona got lost and with the time I was forgotten as well." having finished his story he turned to Lucy. "You see, I've had to wait too long for this opportunity to get my revenge on the celestial spirits."

'I was absolutely wrong!' Lucy thought being shocked about the dragon's revelation. 'There's no way to talk reasonably to this monster!'

"Well, in this case we have only one chance in order to save the spirits." Natsu was prepared to fight against the dragon. "I have to slay you!" he said determined.

"You want to kill me? Who do you think you are, little fly?" Draco replied jokingly.

"My name is Natsu Dragneel. I am a dragon slayer." Natsu introduced himself and finally charged at the opponent.

"HAAAAAAAAH!" Draco opened his jaw and released his breath that was strong enough to blow the team several hundred meters back. His attack left an aisle of destruction through the forest. "Was that all?" Draco wondered. "Are all men this foolish, nowadays? Back in my ti…"

-…-

Far away Natsu and others slowly got up again.

"Ouch!" Lisanna rubbed her back. "What are we going to do now?"

"I don't know …" Lucy said depressed. "But we still have to save Loki and the other spirits … somehow."

"Well, I still intend to slay the dragon. He just got me off-guard." Natsu stated. "You two better stay away." he suggested referring to Lisanna and Lucy. "But I'll need your help, Happy."

"Aye! You can count on me!" the blue cat was determined as well.

"But…" Lucy tried to stop them.

"Don't worry. For the sake of Loki and the spirits and for my honor as a dragon slayer, I'll defeat this monster." then Natsu and Happy flew off.

"I've never seen Natsu being this determined." Lisanna noted amazed watching after them.

"But can we let them go alone?" Lucy wanted to go after them.

"There's probably yet another way." Lisanna stated. "But at first we need to check something." she headed for the direction of the dragon but took another path.

"Hey, wait!" Lucy hurried after her.

-…-

Draco noticed Natsu and Happy coming back flying. "I'm tired of you small fries!" he shouted while charging towards them as well. He opened his jaw in order to simply devour them but stopped abruptly noticing that a part of his body was still trapped in the other dimension. 'I see, since the sun hasn't set yet, the gate hasn't opened completely.'

Happy flew over the head of the dragon and let Natsu fall.

Natsu held his hands over his head and concentrated the flames between them. "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" he released an enormous explosion on the back of Draco's neack causing the head to crash down to the ground. Still falling in the air he watched down to the cloud of dust wondering if his attack really worked this time.

Suddenly the dragon's open jaw charged towards him. In the last moment Happy grabbed the back of his shirt pulling Natsu out of the way before he would have been eaten. "Crap, this was close!" Natsu cursed. "Again, it didn't work!?"

-…-

Meanwhile Lisanna and Lucy went to through the forest. "Wait, would you be please tell me, what we are looking for? Natsu could need our help right now." Lucy complained.

"Janus, this guy who tried to help us earlier…" Lisanna explained. "I vaguely remember him saying something like that the gate could still be closed. If we find him, he could tell us how to do it." They suddenly heard a slight groaning coming from behind the trees.

Janus was lying between broken wood, utterly defeated but still breathing.

"He's badly wounded. We have to take care of him." Lisanna stated while helping him to get up.

"Ts, you fools!" Janus insulted them in a weakened tone. "I'm not the one who needs your help. You need to destroy the Ara and the pillars around it, before Salamander-sama uses his hidden power in order to slay the star dragon spirit."

"Wait, it's too dangerous to simply destroy it." Lucy intervened. "What will happen to the spirits then? There must be another way."

"Don't you get it? Only a real dragon can beat a real dragon." Janus stated. "The way Natsu is now he can't defeat Draco. I can't tell, what will happen to the spirits but in the worst case you have to choose."

"No way!" Lucy shouted out loud. "I'll rather help Natsu to defeat the dragon. I'm sure that we can do it together."

"Lucy…" Lisanna was amazed by the blond girl's determination.

"Lucy, we believe in you." Lucy, Lisanna and Janus heard the voice of a common spirit. Suddenly the projection of Loki appeared in front of them. In the next moment Taurus, Scorpio and Capricorn appeared as well.

"The spirits… I thought they are trapped in the gate of Draco." Lisanna wondered.

"You guys … are you alright?" Lucy was happy to see the celestial spirits. With the time all the missed ones appeared as well: Aries, Aquarius, Gemini, Caelum, Plue, Centaurus, and Crater, a bit later the former opponents Ursa Major, Musca and Microscopium as well.

"This must be an effect of the spell _Sternradio_." Janus commented. "I've never seen it before but I've heard that a celestial spirit mage, whose heart is close to the spirits, can listen to their minds without actually summoning them. Anyway, it seems like a miracle that other people are able to hear them as well." he was referring to him and Lisanna, who actually weren't connected to the magic of stars.

"He's right." Loki agreed with the explanation. "Although our bodies are still being absorbed by the gate of Draco, Lucy's feelings allowed you to hear our minds."

"Lucy-sama, we are sorry to request this from you…" Capricorn added. "…but we lay our hopes in your hands. The minds of all spirits, gathered here, will support you."

Then Lyra, Sagittarius and Aquila appeared as well. "I'm afraid that we can't help you directly this time. The gate of Draco is preventing us from being summoned." Lyra explained. "But our minds will be with you along with the others."

"Lucy, just how do you intend to fight the dragon without being able to summon any spirit?" Lisanna wondered.

"I'll use the _Ultimate Magic of the Stars_!" Lucy decided.

"Urano Metria?!" Janus was surprised. "Even if you are really to cast such a powerful spell, I doubt that it will be strong enough to defeat a dragon."

"Lucy-san isn't alone." Taurus objected. "Our minds are with her."

"And I will accompany you as well, Lucy." Lisanna decided. "With my magic I'll get you as close to the dragon as possible."

"Lisanna-sama, don't forget what you've promised me." Capricorn reminded her of the moment before he had been sucked up by Ara.

"Right." Lisanna nodded. She spread her arms initiating the spell: "Take Over Soul: Capricorn!" she transformed into the goat wearing a black suit. The only differences to the original Capricorn were her female body, well hidden beneath the suite, and her head that looked more human. She had horns as well but didn't have the beard. Also she didn't hide her blue eyes. "This way, I can easily carry you on my back." Lisanna suggested and got down to her left knee.

"Alright!" Lucy agreed and got on Lisanna's back. Then the two headed towards confronting Draco.

-…-

"You little fly! Are you trying to hide from me?" Draco shouted looking for Natsu.

Carried by Happy, the dragon slayer was approaching the back of the dragon's head. They then flew to the front of Draco's face. "Who says, that I'm hiding?!" Natsu replied being provoked. "Somehow my attacks don't have much effect on you. But I think I already know where your weakness is." From above Natsu came falling down holding his ignited hands behind his body. "Fire Dragon's Crushing Fangs!"

But before the attack could hit Draco, his tail was charging fast at Natsu like a spear. "Watch out!" Happy rushed to pull Natsu back out of the way. The attack still slashed across the dragon slayer's chest like a blade. "Guuaaaah!" Natsu cried in pain.

"Did you think you could escape my secondary eyes?" Draco spotted their attempt. "I was just pretending to look for you. I noticed your plan from the first moment."

Happy escaped with the injured Natsu back to the ground as fast as possible. Down there Lisanna-Capricorn with Lucy on her back arrived as well.

"Natsu! What's happened to you?" Lisanna was shocked seeing the injured dragon slayer.

"Is that you, Lisanna?" Happy wondered.

"My magic doesn't work on this dragon." Natsu explained. "His body is surrounded by an invisible hot aura. But I already figured out, that his forehead isn't protected."

"Impressive." Draco had already noticed them. "_Corona_ is my special power that protects most of my body like an invisible shield by absorbing your flames. Otherwise you certainly would have been able to harm me, young dragon slayer." he explained calmly.

"Why the hell did you return?" Natsu asked Lisanna and Lucy. "It's too dangerous!"

"No, we finally decided to help you to defeat the dragon." Lucy proclaimed determined.

"But we need you to give us an opening." Lisanna requested.

"Yes, that should be possible. I know his weak spot now." Natsu explained getting up again. "But the problem is that he can observe our movements with these star-like symbols all over his body." Happy added.

"You can leave this to me." Lucy claimed. "I am able to do something about it." Then the teams started off into different directions in order to confuse Draco. Happy carried Natsu and flew off towards its upper body.

Meanwhile Lisanna carried Lucy on her back and used Capricorn's power to jump on the top of one of the pillars close to the lower body. 'Listen well, Lucy.' Loki's mind was talking only to Lucy. 'I'll now explain you the second effect of Sternradio.'

* * *

><p>Notes:<p>

_Sternradio_ is the title of german song. It's not a real word but it could be freely translated as star-radio. However, the songtext doesn't have to do anything with stars.

_Corona_ refers to the plasma atmosphere of the sun. Please don't be confused with the constellation Corona Australis.


	26. Chapter 26: The bearer of a new magic

Sorry for the short chapter. The fight against the dragon is reaching its climax.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>Draco had already noticed them. "<em>_Corona__ is my special power that protects most of my body like an invisible shield by absorbing your flames…"_

_-…-_

_"But the problem is that he can observe our movements with these star-like symbols all over his body." __Happy added._

_-…-_

_'Listen well, Lucy.' Loki's mind was talking only to Lucy. 'I'll now explain you the second effect of Sternradio.'_

Chapter 26: The bearer of a new magic

Lucy was carried on Lisanna's back, who had taken over Capricorn's body and abilities. They were connected to Loki's mind who could communicate with Lucy due to the spell Sternradio.

'Listen…' Loki talked to Lucy in her mind. 'Through Sternradio you are connected to celestial spirits without summoning them. This also works with spirits who have been summoned by another mage. Since Draco is still a celestial spirit, your power can affect him as well.'

"What do you mean?" Lucy was confused. "I already tried to talk to this monster. It was absolutely useless."

Lisanna was a bit confused by the conversation because she could only hear Lucy's voice in the moment.

'There is a second effect of Sternradio, which works rather active.' the spirit explained. 'You said that you tried to talk to him earlier. Concentrate on the intention you had then. If your thoughts can reach through to him, you should be able to restrict Draco's power.'

"Ah!" Lucy came up with an idea. "Happy told that Draco uses a bothersome ability to observe his surroundings. If I got you correctly, I should be able to nullify it."

'That's right.' the celestial spirit affirmed.

"Ok." Lucy closed her eyes and concentrated on Draco regarding him as a celestial spirit.

-…-

Meanwhile the serpent-like dragon was hunting after Natsu and Happy flying through the sky. "Hey! What are running for? Didn't you intend to slay me?" Draco mocked them.

"You bet!" Natsu turned around turning his head to the follower. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

The dragon broke through the wave of flames. To his surprise he couldn't detect his prey anywhere. "What's going on? They have disappeared?!" Draco realized confused.

"It looks like Lucy's plan is working." Happy noticed. They were hiding high above the dragon's head, where he couldn't see them with his real eyes. "His secondary eyes aren't working anymore. Now is the chance."

-…-

Carrying Lucy on her back Lisanna was climbing up the dragon's lower body, which was snaking through the air. "Our aim is his head, right?"

"Yes." Loki agreed. 'You need to get as close to the head as possible.' Loki was talking to both now. 'We spirits are preparing to cast Urano Metria. The incantation would need too much time during the battle, so we will recite it in advance. Then you have concentrate to our voices in order to channel the spell against Draco.' he explained the plan.

Draco noticed that something was moving over his body and turned around seeing them. "The celestial spirit mage … so it was you who disturbed my secondary eyes." the dragon opened his mouth and released his roar – an enormous black wave filled with masses of stars in different sizes. It seemed like the atmoshere itself was consumed by it.

Shortly before they could be engulfed by the wave, Lisanna grabbed Lucy, took her off the back and threw the blond girl high in the air. "Lucy! I leave the rest to you!" she shouted.

Lucy was flying though the air. Realizing what had happened, she watched back but she couldn't see Lisanna anywhere. "NO! Lisanna!" She started to fall back down in the direction of Draco. "You'll pay for anything you did to my friends!" Lucy swore with tears in her eyes.

'We are ready.' Loki talked to her mind. 'We will now transfer the incantation into your mind. Are you prepared?'

Lucy nodded closing her eyes. "SHINE!" she finished the incantation and opened her eyes again. Countless orbs of light started surrounding the dragon's head.

In the right moment Natsu, completely engulfed into flames, came falling down: "Fire Dragon's Crashing Flame!" he hit Draco on the forehead causing him to widen his mouth in pain.

"Urano Metria!" Lucy released the spell. The light orbs gathered to a single one, which was shot right into the dragon's jaw. 'We made it.' Lucy hoped feeling exhausted after casting this powerful magic. She fell down losing her consciousness but suddenly realized that someone was holding her hands.

"Do you need a ride?" Nat had meanwhile arrived on his Air Board and was holding one hand. He was accompanied by Lisanna, who he had picked up earlier, holding the other hand.

"Lisanna!" Lucy was glad that she was alright.

Draco was forced to take the whole power of Urano Metria. But to the shock of everyone he simply swallowed it. "That was delicious." he stated and released a loud belch.

"It can't be! Did he just eat the star magic?!" Natsu realized still standing on the dragon's forehead.

Draco turned his head to the side causing Natsu to fall down. "You'll be my next snack." but before Draco could swallow him as well, Happy pulled Natsu out of the way.

-…-

Down on the ground Janus had approached Ara and the pillars around it, without anyone noticing. 'At least they managed distract the dragon …' he thought observing the failed attempt of the team and decided to put his original intention into action. With both forefingers and middle fingers he created a complex magic formula repeatedly consisting of the signs Mu, Huo, Tu, Jin and Shui.

The stone ashlar Ara and the pillars were each surrounded by a magic circle in the air, consisting of this formula. Then he recited the incantation:

"Wood (Mu) parts Earth!"

"Earth (Tu) absorbs Water!"

"Water (Shui) extinguishes Fire!"

"Fire (Huo) melts Metal!"

"Metal (Jin) shops Wood!"

"As bearer of the magic of a new generation, I devotedly ask for the power of the essences of existence. Wu Xing Seal: Release the Cycle of Destruction!"

Each circle released a pillar of light instantly destroying the targets.

-…-

What the hell is going on?!" Natsu asked shivering by the threatening magic aura.

"The spirits! I can't hear their voices anymore!" Lucy realized panicking.

"Maybe it was the doing of this masked guy down there." Nat noted.

"Janus? Did he destroy the gate?!" Lisanna couldn't believe it.

"Everything is engulfed into dust. I can't see anything yet." Happy commented.

"YOU BASTARD!" an insanely raged Draco charged down. But before he could reach the ground his body started to break apart and returned to ash bit by bit. The particles were sucked up by the black hole where the dragon had come from.

"Your time is up!" Janus stated as the last rays of the sun disappeared over the horizon.

"DAMN YOOOUUUU!" At last the dragon's head crumbled to pieces of ash and finally vanished into the darkness. This time the gate of the star dragon spirit was closed forever.

The team had been watching the whole scene from the air. For the moment everyone was just speechless. "Let's go down." Natsu suggested finally breaking the silence.

After landing on the ground, Lucy immediately jumped off Nat's Air Board and rushed towards the masked man clenching her right fist. "You! It's your fault that Loki and the other spirits are gone!"

Despite being about to be hit, Janus didn't move an inch.

"Lucy, wait!" Lisanna went in her way and stopped the blond girl's fist before it could reach Janus. "Don't you see that he's still badly injured?" Lisanna referred to his heavy breathing.

"Who cares?" Lucy replied furiously but finally stopped her attempt.

"I don't need you to protect me." Janus mentioned to Lisanna. "I admit that I didn't care what would happen to the spirits."

"Puun!" a little, white guy was suddenly standing next to Lucy's side.

"You?!" Lucy realized surprised.

"Aye! He was following you for a while now but you didn't notice." Happy told her.

"Do you know this guy, Lucy?" Natsu wanted to know.

"If I remember correctly he is one of the spirits that had been trapped in the gate of Draco." Lisanna mentioned.

"This is Nikola, the Canis Minor! He is also known as Plue." Lucy explained. "If you are here … does this mean that the other spirits are alright as well?" she concluded.

"Puun." the spirit affirmed nodding.

"Probably they could finally return to the stellar dimension?" Nat wondered.

"Puun." the Plue affirmed nodding again.

"I'm so glad …" Tears started rolling down her cheeks.

"It looks like a happy end." Natsu tried to cheer Lucy up tapping her head.

So, what are we going to do now?" Nat wanted to know. "I've already prepared my Air Ship again before coming here." he explained.

"That means our ways are parting now." Janus stated. "I have to leave this island as soon as possible. Zoldeo, the other stellar mage, was a member of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, a secret unit of the Magic Council. If they have already found out about their comrade's dead, they might come here soon."

"The Magic Council?" Lisanna was confused. "His dead wasn't your fault, was it?"

"I don't know the relation between you and the council but I'm on their most-wanted-list." Janus revealed. "I should introduce me properly: My name is Jean Duval, codename: Janus, loyal member of the Roots of Order."

"D-did you say Roots of Order!?" Nat started to sweat.

"Do you know something about it?" Lucy wondered.

"Well, Sophie once told me about them. It's an illegal organization of wizards." Nat explained. "It is currently considered the most threatening entity to the world of magic."

"But why did you help us?" Lisanna wanted to know.

"For personal reasons …" Janus stated. "It wasn't part of my mission. But keep in mind: the next time we meet again, I might be your enemy. I truly hope this time won't come soon." with these words he disappeared into the darkness of the night.

-…-

Somewhere on the ocean a small ship was on its way.

"We are reaching the island tomorrow." a young girl with pink hair stated. She was wearing a cape and a remarkable wing-like headgear around her ears.

"I can't believe that Zoldeo died." a muscular, psychotic grinning guy with long, spiky, blond hair was standing next to her.

"It's true." the girl checked the signs on her magic armband.

"Can I at least have some fun?" he wanted to know.

"Our orders are to kill everyone who seems to be suspicious." she explained him in a calm manner.

* * *

><p>While Lisanna, Natsu, Lucy, Nat and Happy are still tired from their battle, the next opponents are already on their way.<p>

Next chapter: Higher


	27. Chapter 27: Higher I

A new development is awaiting the heroes. I hope you have fun reading.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>"Anyway, I can sense that Lisanna could need your help soon." Sophie revealed […] she summoned an ethereal sword and cut through Jean's body, which started to dissolve into light.<em>

_-…-_

_Janus: "Zoldeo, the other stellar mage, was a member of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, a secret unit of the Magic Council."_

_-…-_

_Somewhere on the ocean a small ship was on its way._

_"We are reaching the island tomorrow." a young girl with pink hair stated._

_"I can't believe that Zoldeo died." a muscular, psychotic grinning guy with long, spiky, blond hair was standing next to her._

Chapter 27: Higher - Part I

FLASHBACK: MORE THAN TWO YEARS AGO AT FALLEN PHOENIX

_Lisanna and Jean were teamed up for training and had to fight against their sensei Masato Sanjoin for the fourth time. Again it wasn't working very well._

_From the side the ethereal spirit of the present Jean was watching the scene. 'Did I find it?' he thought to himself. 'This could be a memory of the past in Lisanna's mind.' Then he suddenly overheard the conversation of Sophie and Yamchu, who were observing the event as well. The two apparently weren't able to notice the spirit's presence since they didn't react to him._

"_It looks like they will fail again." Yamchu commented on the battle. "Though their teamwork isn't that bad, I have the feeling that something is missing."_

"_The problem is that they are too busy with checking each other movements. Especially Chan-nii is too careful." Sophie explained referring to Jean. "Anyway, they just know each other for a few weeks. As long as they don't have at bit more confidence in each other's abilities they won't be able to pass the test again."_

'_Hm, since I'm able hear the conversation of Sophie and Yamchu, it can't be a memory of Lisanna.' the Jean of the present concluded in thoughts. 'Damn! Does this mean I got lost in Sophie's mind?'_

_Meanwhile the test went on. But this time Lisanna and Jean fought differently than the previous times. They even managed to force the experienced trainer in the defensive. Lisanna had transformed into the Tigress and was attacking from the front left side. At the same time Jean attacked from the front right side. He was using Ice Attribute on his right hand._

'_What are they planning?' sensei Masato thought. He should be able to dodge their front attack easily and end the training battle with a well-timed counter. "Scutum!" he pointed the image of the constellation in the air and created the star light shield._

"_This way, Lisanna and Jean won't be able to break through the shield." Yamchu stated. "The last time it didn't work as well."_

"_I'm not that sure about it." Sophie replied. "Something is different today." She watched Lisanna, who was about to hit the shield with her left claw, while Jean was about to strike it with his right Freezing Fist simultaneously. Sophie noticed that both partners were connected by a faint light. _

_Jean opened his fist which transformed into a tiger claw. The same time Lisanna's claw was surrounded by the light blue aura of Ice Attribute. Finally their attacks crossed each other releasing magic blades in form of an X. The shield was destroyed instantly._

'_Crap!' trainer Masato released that it would be better to avoid the attack and jumped back in the air. After landing on the ground, he declared the end of the training because the goal was achieved._

"_Their magic was resonating?!" Yamchu wondered astonished. "Was this Unison Raid?!"_

"_No, it was just a combined attack. But since Attribute Adoption was originally derived from Take Over Magic, their spells were interacting at a high ratio." Sophie explained. "They finally managed to synchronize their minds."_

'_I see…' the present Jean's spirit commented on the scene. 'That way Sophie tried to give me a hint.' he realized disappearing again._

-…-

PRESENT

The next morning the sun was rising over the lost island. The team of Lisanna, Natsu, Lucy, Nat and Happy had decided to stay on the island over night in order to get a rest from their fight against the star dragon spirit.

Lisanna was the first one to be woken up by the first rays of the sun. At least she thought so before realizing that Natsu had already left the camp side. She left as well without wakening the others in order to look for the pink haired boy. She soon discovered his footsteps and followed them. After a while Lisanna reached the seaside and found Natsu looking out onto the ocean. "Natsu? What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"Ah!" Because Natsu didn't notice her arrival at first, he was visibly surprised by Lisanna's voice suddenly appearing from behind. "It's you, Lisanna. Don't scare me like this."

Lisanna was a bit confused. It wasn't typical for Natsu to be lost in thoughts. "Is there anything wrong?" she wanted know.

"Nah, I just couldn't sleep very well." Natsu replied but it was obviously a bad excuse.

"You know, you have friends you can talk to about your problems." Lisanna encouraged him. She hesitated a while waiting for a reply.

"The competition is starting in a few months …" Natsu finally broke the silence. "Our team isn't complete yet and after the fight against the dragon I came up with the idea that you could join us."

For the moment, Lisanna was overwhelmed by Natsu's proposal and unable to reply.

-…-

Back at the camp Lucy, Nat and Happy had meanwhile woken up as well. Lucy was worried about the absence of Natsu and Lisanna.

"I'm certain that they'll come back soon." Nat tried to calm her. "In the meantime we should break the camp and prepare for our departure. If the masked guy, Janus, was right, we could get into trouble if we stay here any longer."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Lucy agreed.

"Alright, as long as you prepare everything I go looking for them." Happy suggested and was about to fly off.

"Not happening!" Lucy caught one of Happy's feet and stopped him from flying away. "Don't think that you can just leave all the work to us."

Happy sighed realizing that his intention was revealed.

The preparations were almost finished when Lisanna and Natsu returned. They slowly approached the camp without exchanging any words.

"You're back." Lucy realized. "Did anything happen?"

Both of them shook their heads.

"Fine, then we should get ready and leave this island finally." Nat stated.

-…-

At the same time the small ship reached the opposite seaside of the island. The blond haired guy was the first one to leave the ship being followed by one of his subordinates. "Were you able to spot anyone suspicious?"

"Not yet, Zancrow-sama." his assistant replied taking out binoculars. The magic item allowed him to detect any person in a certain area. "I've found something. Four people and a strange flying animal are on the other side of the island." he pointed to the direction where the team was situated.

"Fine! Finally some action for me!" Zancrow grinned manically and released his black flames. He used the flames on his feet as boost and rushed into the forest.

"His attitude is as explosive as usual." the pink haired girl commented leaving the ship.

"Meredy-sama!" the assistant greeted her. "I'm sorry but I couldn't stop him. What shall we do now?"

"Don't worry, he should be able to deal with the suspects on his own." the girl stated calmly. "We are using the time to confirm Zoldeo's death."

-…-

Nat checked the controls for the last time before starting the engine of his airship. "We can start now. Is everyone on board?"

"Wow, so that's the way how you managed to get here?!" Lucy was amazed while getting on board. "I hope you have some free place for me. Loki will have to rest in the celestial dimension for the next time. So he isn't able to open the stellar gate for me to return."

"I don't know if there are seats in your 'size'." Happy commented jokingly referring to Lucy's butt.

"Why you?!" Lucy got angry.

"Don't worry. There is enough space over there." Lisanna pointed to an empty seat for two persons.

"You too, Lisanna?!" Lucy sighed making Lisanna and Happy chuckle to each other.

Natsu was the last one to get in. Even before taking off he was about to get sick. But suddenly his expression changed. Sweat drops started running down his face.

"Don't tell me you already got nausea just from seeing the ship." Happy commented.

"No, that's not it …" Natsu turned around feeling a strong magic power getting closer fast. "There is someone approaching us."

"You are right." Lisanna agreed. Now the rest of the team could feel it as well.

"Could it be that the people, whom Janus had warned us about, have already spotted us?" Nat wondered worriedly. "Get in, Natsu! We have to start now!"

Just in this moment Zancrow arrived crashing through the trees. "Look, who we have here. Without doubt you people look pretty suspicious." he stated. "Don't think that I'll let you leave this place." he threatened releasing a fire ball hitting the airship.

"Damn! If he manages to damage the ship any further, we won't be able get away." Nat checked the status.

"A fire mage?!" Natsu realized. "If that's the case, I and Happy will be enough to take care of him. You three use the chance to go ahead and we follow you after dealing with this guy." Natsu suggested confidently.

"Is this really ok?" Lucy intervened.

"Don't worry. Flames are Natsu's specialty." Happy encouraged her and left the ship.

"Alright, let's do as he says." Nat decided and the airship took off.

"Where do you think you are going?!" Zancrow prepared another strike.

But Natsu went in his way. "I am your opponent!" he attempted punch the blond guys stomach but Zancrow was able to block the attack with his fist. The dragon slayer followed with a series of punches but his opponent could block every single one easily. Natsu decided to get some distance. "Who are anyway? And what do you want?" he wanted to know before fighting on.

"I'm Zancrow of the Seven Kin of Purgatory." his opponent replied. "You just need to know that I have the order to kill you and your friends." He then released a wave of black flames towards Natsu.

"Ha, this can't hurt me! The fire dragon eats the flames." Natsu was about to swallow the fire. But this time his mouth was burnt by trying to do so. "What's going on? I can't eat them?!" he realized shocked.

"Natsu!" Happy watched the scene from the side. "Fire, that can't be eaten by a fire dragon?! What the hell is this magic?" he wondered.

"So you are Fairy Tail's Salamander." Zancrow recalled. "I've heard a lot of rumors about you. But as a mere dragon slayer you won't stand any chance against my flames that can slay a god. My magic is called God Slayer Magic."

"A god? What are you talking about?" Natsu recovered from the attack and charged towards Zancrow again. "Then how about you try my flames in return!" he hold both hands to the right of his head and concentrated his flames between them.

Zancrow spread his arms to the side and ignited them, pointing with one hand towards Natsu and with the other one in the opposite direction.

Natsu: "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"

Zancrow: "Fire God's Kagutsuchi!"

The spells clashed against each other but with the time Natsu's flame was burned up the god's fire and in the end the dragon slayer was pushed back.

"Natsu!" Happy grew his wings and followed Natsu in order to help him.

"You won't get in the way!" Zancrow charged a black exploding cloud against the flying cat incapacitating him instantly.

"Damn you!" Natsu managed to land on his feet and got up again. He took a deep breath forming his belly into a balloon and released his next attack: "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

"Uhihi! Didn't you know that it was god who brought the fire into the world?" Zancrow revealed waiting for the wave of fire. He simply grabbed it with his hands in order to stuff it into his mouth.

With shock Natsu had to watch him devouring the whole flame.

"That was delicious." Zancrow commented after having eaten Natsu's flame completely. "Do you get it now? Even if you have the power to defeat a dragon, it's nothing against a god: Fire God's Bellow!" he released a massive fire ball off his mouth.

"Guuaaaahhhh!" Natsu was instantly sent flying back in the air and landed in the water far off the shore. He lost his consciousness and was about to be swallowed by the sea.

"N-Natsu!" Being unable to move, Happy could only watch his friend slowly sinking in the water.

"Natsu!" Lisanna came fallen from the sky and followed him into the water. She transformed her lower limbs into a fish tail and could easily catch up with Natsu.

"Lisanna? You came back." Happy realized smiling.

"Just another prey for my flames." Zancrow mocked while watching them getting out of the water.

Lisanna carried the unconscious Natsu over her left shoulder and let him down next to the blue cat. "Happy, are able to fly? Please take Natsu to the airship. Nat and Lucy are still nearby."

Happy tried hard and got up again. "And what about you?" he wanted to know.

"I'll come after you as soon as I've defeated this guy." she stated. Noticing that Happy was still hesitating, she turned around with a smile: "You can believe me."

"Aye!" Happy finally agreed, took Natsu and flew off.

"Do you think, I'll let you escape that easily?" Zancrow shot a black fire ball after Happy and Natsu. Before the attack could hit them, Lisanna transformed her left arm into a wing and blocked it. The wing started to release orange flames surrounding the black fire and extinguished it by burning up the oxygen.

"T-this flame…" Zancrow was shocked that his magic was beaten by another flame. Then his expression drastically changed. "Let me eat it!" he burst out in excitement. "Devouring you, I can truly become a god!"

Lisanna changed her arm back realizing that it was slightly burned. She knew that it wan't caused by Zancrow's attack but by the life-consuming nature of the Phoenix' magic. 'I don't have another choice.' she thought to herself determined. Spreading her arms to the sides she was surrounded by a strong magic aura. 'Please forgive me if I can't come back.'

In the split of a second the faces of her previous friends and family came to her mind: 'Natsu, Happy, Lucy, Nat, Sophie, Juvia, Mira-nee, Elf-ni, … Jean!'

"_STOP!" a common voice suddenly echoed in her mind._

* * *

><p>Next chapter: Higher - Part II<p> 


	28. Chapter 28: Higher II

From now on I'm going to publish more frequently.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>In the split of a second the faces of her precious friends and family came to her mind: 'Natsu, Happy, Lucy, Nat, Sophie, Juvia, Mira-nee, Elf-ni, … Jean!'<em>

_"__STOP!" a familiar voice suddenly echoed in her mind._

Chapter 28: Higher – Part II

[Lisanna's mind]

'_Th-this voice …' Lisanna couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Jean!" she realized the spirit who was finally able to get access to her mind. "Is this my imagination?!"_

"_No, it's really me. It's Sophie's magic that allowed me to be here." Jean explained. "After hearing you calling my name in your thoughts, I could finally get through."_

"_But what are doing here?"_

"_I've finally realized that I really overdid it, when I challenged Natsu-san. I'm sorry for this. Back then you came and saved me … and now I'm here to prevent you from making a mistake." Jean told her. "I know that you're going to use the Phoenix' magic … but I also know what happened the last time, you tried."_

_Lisanna was moved by her companion's words. "Thank you. But I can't return now. The magic is already initiated." she replied while her transforming body was almost completely shaped into patterns. "You should go now." she said turning around again._

"_No! I won't leave you alone in a situation like this." he objected reaching for Lisanna's left hand. Suddenly his spiritual body started to be affected by the magic as well._

"_W-what's going on?" Lisanna was surprised seeing Jean's body shaping into patterns as well._

"_I-I don't kn …" he couldn't finish the sentence being taken over by the spell._

-...-

Zancrow didn't realize the interaction inside Lisanna's mind, which lasted just a second in real time. Euphorically he watched the transformation, waiting for the Phoenix to appear. But the creature revealing in front of him didn't look as expected. "What the hell is this?" Zancrow wondered getting disappointed.

While Lisanna's main body remained human wearing a feathered bikini in the colors green and red, she had the legs of an eagle with strong claws. Her human upper arms went over into muscular forearms covered with feathers. Her white hair was hidden under an eagle head cap that ended in the back of her shoulders where two large, white wings arose from.

'Huh? I didn't transform into the Phoenix?!' Lisanna wondered about her new appearance. 'What is this form?'

'It looks like Garuda – a hybrid creature of human being and eagle.' Jean's spirit explained being still with her.

'Jean?! I can still hear your voice in my mind…' Lisanna realized surprised.

'Yeah. This outcome is quite unexpected…' he replied trying to remain calm considering the weird situation. 'Let's concentrate on the opponent in front of us for now.' Jean stated referring to Zancrow.

"How disappointing ..." Zancrow reacted bored. "Fighting against the Phoenix would certainly have been fun ..." his mood changed and he became more aggressive. "Then I'll finish you fast." he ignited his right hand and charged towards Garuda-Lisanna.

'Please let me take control over this body for now.' Jean asked Lisanna in her mind. Garuda then easily stopped the attack with the left hand.

To Zancrow's surprise the black flame was extinguished the moment his right fist was stopped by Garuda. He followed with several punches but his flames disappeared after being blocked.

Garuda managed to grab both fists. "Your flames won't work on me." Jean spoke through Lisanna's voice. "I use Air Attribute: Vacuum Box around my hands. I guess your fire won't burn without oxygen. On top of that my physically strength has increased considerably." Garuda then rammed the left knee into Zancow's stomach.

"Guh!" the kick made Zancrow stumble backwards. Before being able to recover, he received the next hit by Garuda's right fist. "Damn you!" he grumbled and ignited his left hand releasing a chain of black explosions in front of him. The next moment he realized that his opponent wasn't there anymore.

Garuda was about to crush the confused Zancrow from above.

Just in time the god slayer noticed a strange shadow on the ground becoming bigger and avoided the attack by jumping to the side. "Got you!" Zancrow smirked referring to the fact that Garuda was unable to react properly in the moment. He clapped his hands together: "A feast for the Flame God!"

Garuda was trapped in a large black fire sphere. "Kyahhh!" Lisanna screamed by the pain of being burned. 'You can use my magic.' Jean suggested speaking to her mind. 'I'm more persistent against heat.' The humanoid bird's body was surrounded by light red aura. Indeed the pain lessened and Lisanna was able to assess the situation.

"Forget it!" Zancrow commented. "Your magic won't last against my god flame!"

Garuda crossed her arms and wings in front of the body and transformed her arms into wings as well. By spreading all four wings at the same time, she created an air blast deflecting the black flames in all directions and destroying the surroundings in the process.

"Huh?!" the black fire didn't affect the Zancrow but his view was blocked by a cloud of dust.

Garuda suddenly appeared right in front of him preparing the right, retransformed fist for a punch. While Zancrow was still confused she recited: "The magic's got me going higher. I feel like I can touch the sky: Heavenward!" she hit the opponent's face sending him flying high into the sky.

"Uff. It looks like it's finally over. " Lisanna was released. "By the way – thank you for the help."

'I hope you are right.' Jean stated. 'This guy was pretty strong. You should head back to the others before more opponents arrive.' he suggested.

"Ok." Lisanna agreed and flew off.

-…-

In the meantime Zancrow was floating through the air unconsciously. Slowly he woke up again and recalled the situation.

"That bitch!" he cursed. Looking around he noticed that Garuda was flying away. He turned around, released flames on his feet and used them as a boost in order to follow his opponent in the air.

In a short time he managed to decrease the distance between them. "I won't let you get away! Master Hades' orders are absolute!" he called after Garuda focusing his remaining magic in the right hand and creating a black sphere of concentrated fire: "Flame God's Final Commandment!"

Garuda turned around being surprised that Zancrow was still after them. She spread her arms to the sides and spun around creating circulations of air. She focused the air between both hands.

Simultaneously the opponents charged their spells against each other. The attacks interacted with each other creating a sphere of concentrated magic. The power overloaded and released a destructive wave in all directions.

At the same time Garuda and Zancrow were engulfed by the magic that was about to explode.

-…-

From the distance Natsu, Lucy, Nat and Happy watched an enormous explosion in the sky above the island.

"LISANNA!" Lucy cried out.

"D-do you think t-that she was still there?" Happy stammered horrified.

"It-it can't be." Nat replied being shocked as well.

Natsu was unable to say anything.

-…-

At that time Meredy and her assistants were still inspecting the location where the battle with the star dragon spirit had taken place.

"What was that explosion." one assistant wondered shocked.

"It looks like Zancrow isn't holding back. He should have eliminated the suspects by now." the pink haired girl commented. "We're done here. Prepare everything for our return." she commanded.

-…-

[At the same time at Fairy Tail]

Back in the hospital Jean suddenly woke up being drenched in sweat. "I'm back …" he realized looking at his right hand. "Why am I here? What happened to Lisanna?" he wondered with a scared expression on his face.

-…-

Sophie realized that something strange was happening with the black crystal that was linked to Lisanna. It was glowing even stronger, vibrated and finally broke into little shards. 'That's bad!' she thought horrified. 'That means Lisanna's crystal was destroyed. But what could have happened to her? And if Jean's mind has actual reached her, than he might be … as well …' She immediately headed towards the hospital.

-…-

[At the Magic Council at Centuria]

Under the lead of Laxus, team 'Magic Stars' was visiting the city in order to train for the upcoming competition.

At the moment Mira, transformed into her Satan Soul, was sparring with Eva in her Vampire Take Over. A sudden pain in the stomach caused Mira losing her concentration and receiving a hit by her opponent.

Laxus realized that something was odd and interrupted the battle. "Is anything wrong?" he wanted know.

"No… I just overused my magic a bit." Mira prevaricated. In truth she thought: 'What the hell was that feeling … Lisanna?'

-…-

[At the Water God's Palace at Undina]

Gray, Lyon and Juvia were visiting the city of water. They did nothing but training all the time, but Juvia was usually focused on Gray and happy just being with him.

But this time her thoughts were different for some reason. She wondered how her friends, especially Lisanna, were doing.

-…-

Sophie was on her way to the hospital. Because of her blindness she used vision orbs floating in the air, which were connected to her senses, in order to observe her surroundings. She noticed Cathy and a tall, middle aged woman leaving the building, but didn't pay much attention in the moment.

Entering the hospital her attention was drawn towards the cafeteria. One of her orbs detected a familiar person there. "Jean!" Sophie called over, being surprised to see her brother had woken up from coma.

Jean was sitting at a table, having a cup of coffee. He didn't respond to his sister's call.

"Hey! How rude to ignore me!" Sophie complained pouting. "But it's good to see that you're alright." she greeted him smiling.

"Yeah, I'm fine …" Jean replied with a little smile but his mood got depressed soon "… but what happened to Lisanna?"

"Hm, I thought you should be able to know …" Sophie took out the shards of the black crystal.

"The crystal broke?!" Jean realized taken aback. "What does this mean?"

"It means that Lisanna's one was destroyed." Sophie explained. "What happened there? You have to know it!"

"Well, not really …" Jean hesitated. "We were fighting against that Fire God Slayer. The spells collided and the concentrated magic was about to explode. But I was _pushed_ out of Lisanna's mind before it actually happened. Something or _someone_ interfered …" he paused for a moment. "I somehow have the feeling that she's alright. But I want to confirm my assumption – please send me there again."

"I can't." Sophie revealed. "I did nothing but disconnecting your spirit from your body. Your coma was a unique chance to perform this spell. It would be too dangerous and irresponsible to put you in similar state again." she summarized and concluded: "We just can wait for Lisanna to return safely."

-…-

Being accompanied by Cathy, the unknown middle-aged woman entered the office of the director. She was a tall woman with long, black hair and yellow shimmering eyes. Her skin was slightly toned. She wore a long, white kimono with red flowers. The most remarkable thing was that her left arm was missing. "So, you must be master Makarov Dreyar. I thank you for listening to my request."

"You're welcome." the old man greeted her.

"It has to do with the recent return of the Black Wolf." she explained. "He is planning to take over the throne of the Lycanoos. His next target is the main tribe in Black Forest close to Liliana."

"I'm afraid that most of our teachers and students aren't available at the moment. So I'm not sure if we are able to help you." the master explained. "There are other guilds around, where you could find help …"

"I would usually never request the help of humans …" the woman revealed slightly angered. "… but my son … I've heard that he's a new student of your academy. I'm afraid he is already involved in the affair."

-…-

Sophie and Jean were still sitting in the hospital's cafeteria. They hadn't exchanged any words for some time.

The next moment their attention was drawn to someone who entered the building.

"It's Yuna-chan." Sophie realized. "She is carrying someone. Let's help her." Sophie and Jean went over and carried the injured person to the doctor's office.

Sophie and Jean left the room again while Yuna stayed inside with him and the doctor. "Who is this guy?" Jean was getting curious about the situation.

"He's Gajeel – a dragon slayer." Sophie explained.

'So, he is like Natsu …' Jean thought to himself recalling his last fight.

"Two days ago he and Yuna went to the forest where the Lycanoo tribe is living." Sophie continued.

"Lycanoos?" Jean was surprised. "I had no idea that there is a tribe living in this region."

"Sophie-chan! Jean-kun!" Cathy, who had just entered hospital, called them. "I don't want to interrupt your conversation but we are required to take a mission. Master Makarov is going to introduce you to the situation."

Despite being confused Sophie and Jean followed their friend. Leaving the hospital they didn't notice that a certain blue-haired girl was attracted by the ruckus. It was Levy who was worried about Gajeels's condition but she didn't find the courage to enter the doctor's office.

* * *

><p>The focus of the story is changing for the next few chapters. It's continuing the Lycanoo Arc (chapters 15-18). I think Gajeel should get some action in a backflash.<p>

next chapter: The conspiracy

Notes:

The chapter is named after a song: _Taio Cruz and Kylie Minogue - Higher_

The incantation for the spell Heavenward is a part of the song's lyrics (but slightly changed).


	29. Chapter 29: The conspiracy

Looks like I managed to write a fighting scene for Gajeel though I don't really like his style. I hope you don't mind the switching between present and flashback.

Comments are welcome.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>Summary: <em>

_Lisanna was fighting against the Fire God Slayer Zancrow. She was assisted by Jean's spirit and transformed into a hybrid creature called Garuda. The collision of the opponents' final spells resulted in a devastating explosion leaving Lisanna's fate unknown._

_Back at Fairy Tail another adventure awaits Jean, who has finally woken up._

Chapter 29: The conspiracy

[Hospital]

Levy was standing outside the room where the injured Gajeel was examined. 'How could this happen?' she worried. 'I could only see him for a short moment but his wounds looked terrible.'

Inside Dr. Polyushka treated the dragon slayer's injuries. Ignoring Yuna the doctor was talking to herself: "Even I haven't seen something like this before. Those are claw marks – maybe of a wolf. Did he fight against Lycanoos? But the cuts aren't the problem here …" she paused a moment taking a closer look. "There are traces of a liquid that corrodes almost any material. He is probably poisoned as well."

"Can you help Gajeel-kun?" Yuna wanted to know.

At that moment the doctor realized that there was still another person in the room. "Are you still here?" she reacted furiously. "Get out already!"

Confused, Yuna left the room. Outside she almost stumbled over the blue-haired girl. "Oh, sorry." she then recognized her roommate. "Oh, it's you, Levy. It's good to see that you've recovered." Yuna was referring to the first incident with the Lycanoos several days ago.

"Yuna-chan, is Gajeel-kun alright?" Levy wanted know. "These wounds looked dangerous." she was looking down to the ground when tears filled her eyes.

"Heh, you don't need to worry about Gajeel-kun. He's tough and he was able to beat the shit out of the Lycanoo." Yuna tried to cheer her up.

"Did you say a Lycanoo did this?" Levy wanted to know. "Why did you have to fight against them?"

"Well, Gajeel-kun wanted to confront them. He blamed himself for not being there, when you had been attacked by the Black Wolf." Yuna explained the story. "I warned him but couldn't stop him from going there. I guess he really likes you." she concluded sighing.

Levy started to blush at this statement.

-…-

_FLASHBACK: Two days ago_

_The Iron Dragon Slayer was wandering through the forest searching for the Lycanoos responsible for Levy's injury. At the campus he had asked Yuna to show him the way to the location. After a while he realized being followed and turned around: "What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you that I'm going on my own?!" he remarked harshly._

_The follower was Yuna. After being unable to stop Gajeel, she had decided to join his quest. "Well, I've just met Levy but the recent events have gotten us closer to each other. You aren't the only one who has some business with that wolf pack." she explained determined._

"_Do what you want." Gajeel replied pretending not to care and went on._

_Yuna went after him. Her primary reason for accompanying the dragon slayer was that she had a crush on him since they had met for the first time._

_-…-_

_Gajeel and Yuna had explored the forest for a few hours without finding any trace of the Lycanoos._

"_Are you sure that this is right way?" Gajeel wanted to know turning around._

"_Yes. It was dark but I used my Eye Magic during the fights." Yuna replied. "I recognize the place." _

"_Wait!" Gajeel suddenly stopped their movements. "There's a strange smell around this area."_

"_Smell?" Yuna asked confused. She couldn't sense anything._

"_Yeah, there is a slight smell of wolves …" he paused concentrating on the scent. "But it's covered by something else." After a while his eyes widened. "Blood?!" he realized shocked. After hesitating for a moment Gajeel went on in the direction where the smell came from._

'_Did he say blood?!' Yuna wondered shocked. "Hey, wait! Don't you think it's too dangerous?" she called but Gajeel didn't pay any attention and moved on. She then hurried after him._

_After a while they discovered a clearing in the forest. There were about twenty corpses of Lycanoos lying on the ground. Their bodies were covered with claw marks. It looked like the responsible was one of their own race._

"_How horrible!" Yuna stated. "But why would they kill each other?"_

"_I don't know." Gajeel replied uninterested. He was busy analyzing the wounds. "There is something fishy about the injuries. There is a corrosive liquid …" he suddenly stopped the sentence after noticing a suspicious noise from the woods. "Who is there?" he turned around seeing a shadow disappearing behind the trees._

"_It's too late. The suspect has already gone." Yuna told him. "Do you think we have been watched all the time?"_

"_Maybe." Gajeel replied. "But I doubt that it was the one responsible for this massacre." _

_From the opposite direction another noise was getting closer to them. It was the panting of a beast chasing after its prey. Appearing in front of Gajeel and Yuna the creature suddenly stopped. To their surprise it was looking like a man. He had wild, brown hair with long sideburns hanging down from the sides of the cheeks. He had a green-grey skin color. Remarkable were his sharp, protrudent corner teeth. The guy was wearing a brown, sleeveless vest and short, ochreous pants. His hands and feet didn't look human but rather like claws._

_Upon seeing the humans in front of him he raised his head to the sky and released a loud wolf's howl._

"_He is a Lycanoo!" Yuna revealed noticing his grey, bushy tail appearing from the back of his pants._

"_A Lycanoo? But he looks human?!" Gajeel wondered._

"_Some of them can transform into humans. The Black Wolf who attacked Levy was one as well." Yuna explained._

"_You are talking about master Vegeta?!" the Lycanoo wanted to partake in the conversation. "My name is Garm. I joined his pack after he gave me the magic of transformation. As proof of my loyalty he ordered me to take care of everyone who refused following his lead. The Queen – well, the former queen – is my last target. But I'm bored from chasing after her. Playing with you for a while will certainly entertain me." Garm remarked drooling._

"_That guy killed all the other Lycanoos." Gajeel told Yuna. "The scent of his claws is mixed of blood and acid."_

"_Are you really going to fight him?" Yuna wanted to know worriedly._

_Gajeel turned to Garm and transformed his right arm into the Iron Dragon's Sword pointing at the Lycanoo. "After I'm finished with you, you can tell me where I can find that master you were talking about." he proclaimed._

"_That's fine with me." Garm replied. "But I wonder for what a dead guy need such information for?!"_

-…-

PRESENT

Sophie, Jean and Cathy were entering the director's office. Inside the director and the black-haired woman with the yellow shimmering eyes were waiting for them. The woman immediately caught Jean's attention.

"Madam, these are Cathy, Sophie and Jean, three students of Fairy Tail." Makarov introduced the three. He then turned to them and was about to introduce the woman.

"You are Lupina-sama, aren't you?" Jean interrupted him unintentionally.

"You know her?" his sister wondered.

"I already met her some years ago. She's the mother of Yamchu-kun." he explained. "She's a Lycanoo elder and is known as Queen."

"Hm, I remember that Vegeta was saying something like Yamchu-kun is the son of a female Lycanoo elder?!" Cathy recalled the confrontation with the Black Wolf. "Wait – doesn't that mean that you are Vegeta's mother as well? He was stating something like that." she wondered addressing the woman.

"That's right." Lupina affirmed. "I want you to prevent that my sons encounter each other again. I'm afraid that one of them won't survive their next confrontation."

"Now that you know the background I'll explain you the situation." master Makarov went over to the details. "We know that Yamchu, Tenshinhan and Elfman went to Liliana for training. Jupina-sama explained me that she had met Vegeta. Apparently he is heading for the Black Forest, which is close to the town."

"You need be careful. Amongst Vegeta's underlings is a Lycanoo using Acid Claw Magic." Lupina warned them insistently. "He injured my left arm …" she presented her missing limb.

"Gajeel's wounds were looking similar." Cathy realized. "So he was fighting against said Lycanoo."

-…-

_FLASHBACK: Two days ago_

_Gajeel and the Lycanoo Garm were fighting a fierce battle. Yuna wanted to join as well but Gajeel insisted on fighting alone. He was about to crush his opponent with the sword but the wolf was fast enough to avoid the attack._

_Garm swiftly attacked him from the right side charging with his claw towards the dragon slayer's head. The tips of his fingernails were emitting a green spray._

_Gajeel turned his head away but was slightly grazed at his right cheek. At first he thought nothing about it but then felt an increasing pain like his skin was melting away. "What the hell is this?" he wondered._

"_My special Claw Magic allows me to release a dangerous acid." Garm explained. "It can corrode even iron."_

"_You wanna try my claws then?" Gajeel replied transforming his head and arms into metal dragon scales. He tried to hit his opponent who was able to avoid every strike. The Lycanoo finally stroke back several times but Gajeel could block the attacks. After a while he realized that even his scales started to melt._

"_Your scales are pretty tough." Garm complimented the dragon slayer. "An ordinary human wouldn't be able to withstand my acid any longer."_

"_Gajeel-kun! Are you ok?" Yuna was worried watching the fight._

"_Don't come any closer! His magic is too dangerous!" Gajeel warned her. He then transformed his right hand into a lance: "Iron Dragon's Demon Lance!" and rammed it towards his opponent._

_Garm tried to dodge but was still hit at his left stomach and was pushed to the back._

_Gajeel inhaled a fair amount of air and prepared to release his Iron Dragon's Roar._

_The Lycanoo grabbed with his right claw into the bleeding wound at the left of the stomach and soaked his fingers with glaucous blood._

_The dragon slayer breathed out a tornado dispersing a lot metal shards: "Iron Dragon's Roar!"_

_Garm put his hands in front of the body blocking the dragon's roar. The metal shards couldn't harm him because they were instantly melted by the acid liquid on his claws. He then threw the blood like flying blades towards Gajeel: "Flying Claws of Aqua Regia!"_

_Gajeel tried to avoid the attack by jumping in the air but was hit at his legs. Unable to land properly he went down on his knees._

_The Lycanoo used the weak moment of his opponent and charged towards him for dealing the final blow._

_Yuna couldn't just watch anymore and decided to help Gajeel. She took out her silver desert eagle MK XIX and aimed for the wolf. Garm realized her intention and tried to get away using his quickness but Yuna was able to easily follow his movements with her Silver Eyes. She shot a fusillade of magic bullets towards the opponent._

_Garm couldn't dodge the attack but used his bushy tail to block the bullets._

"_It didn't work!" Yuna realized shocked._

"_But you were able to buy me some time." Gajeel remarked smirking. He was still kneeling and had his hands rammed into the ground: "Iron Dragon's Secret Art. Karma Demon: Earthborn Demon Lances!" two giant lances appeared from the ground beneath the Lycanoo severely hitting him and taking him out in the process._

"_You made it!" Yuna was glad that the fight was over. She then noticed that Gajeel was too wounded to move and went over to help him._

"_Kehehe!" Garm smirked lying on the ground. "You may have been able to defeat me but it's too late! My acid has certainly poisoned your blood. You'll die if you don't get proper treatment soon!"_

"_We need to get back to the academy." Yuna realized and helped Gajeel to get up._

"_Wait, I still want to ask him about the Black Wolf." Gajeel objected. "Where can I find him?"_

"_You fool!" Garm replied. "With that level of power master Vegeta is out of your league." _

"_That's enough! We need to go back." Yuna decided and they headed for the academy._

_-…-_

_After a while Gajeel collapsed being totally exhausted. "Come on, Gajeel. You need to pull yourself together. We are almost there." Yuna tried to encourage him while knowing that it was still a far way to go._

"_I can help you." a female voice suddenly came from behind the trees. "I thank you for defeating my chaser. I wasn't able to do it."_

"_That means you are that Queen he was talking about." Yuna realized. "And you are that shadow we met earlier."_

"_That's right. My name is Lupina and I was the queen of the Lycanoo tribe in this forest but I was dethroned by the Black Wolf." she introduced herself. "Before you can go on I need to treat your friend and he needs to rest for at least one day. Then I'll accompany you to Fairy Tail."_

-…-

PRESENT

The next morning Sophie, Jean and Cathy teamed up and were on the way to Liliana going by train. Their task was to meet with Yamchu, Elfman and Tenshinhan and to prevent the confrontation with Vegeta, the Black Wolf.

"Why did you suddenly accept the mission?" Cathy asked Jean. "Aren't you too worried about Lisanna at the moment?" she wondered.

"We should focus on our task for now." Sophie tried to calm her comrades. "The director is sending someone to find Lisanna and her team."

"Yeah. And there is something else that I have to find out in Liliana." Jean answered. "When I met Lisanna I could somehow read her mind and heard a strange name that sounded familiar to me. I want to ask oyaji-san about it."

"You want to meet too-san?" Sophie was surprised. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Jean didn't answer the question.

"I see, you don't want to talk about it now." Sophie concluded. "Well, let's find Yamchu-kun and the others first."

-…-

[At the same time at the training grounds of Fallen Phoenix]

Since the students had joined Fairy Tail their former academy had been an abandoned place. Yamchu, Elfman and Tenshinhan used this opportunity in order to get some training without being disturbed.

After Yamchu and Tenshinhan had their sparring finished they noticed some guy approaching them.

"It's been a long time, Yamchu-dono." the young man greeted them. He was pretty tall and wore an ice blue and black armor. His black hair was flat at the top and kept in a small ponytail at the back.

"You are Toma, aren't you?" Yamchu recognized him taken aback.

"You know him?" Elfman wanted to know curiously.

"Yeah, we had been close friends in my childhood. But back then he wasn't able to transform into a human." Yamchu explained.

"That was before you had to leave the tribe." Toma added. "Many things have changed recently. After King-sama came to know that you are around, he asked me to invite you."

Yamchu couldn't believe what his former friend was telling him.

* * *

><p>After a long time Yamchu has the chance to meet his former tribe. What is his relationship with the King? And can the team prevent his confrontation with Vegeta?<p>

next chapter: King

Notes:

Lupina is Yamchu's and Vegeta's mother. Yamchu is half Lycanoo and half human, so his father is/was human.


	30. Chapter 30: King

Since the focus of the story has completely changed (temporary), I wonder if I should change the story properties?

Comments are welcome.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p>"<em>[…] there is something else that I have to find out in Liliana." Jean answered. "When I met Lisanna I could somehow read her mind and heard a strange name with a familiar ringing to me. […]"<em>

_-…-_

_The next morning Sophie, Jean and Cathy teamed up and were on the way to Liliana going by train. Their task was to meet with Yamchu, Elfman and Tenshinhan and to prevent the confrontation with Vegeta, the Black Wolf._

_-…-_

_You are Toma, aren't you?" Yamchu recognized him taken aback. […] "We had been close friends in my childhood. But back then he wasn't able to transform into a human." Yamchu explained._

_"That was before you had to leave the tribe." Toma added. "Many things have changed recently. After King-sama came to know that you are around, he asked me to invite you."_

Chapter 30: King

Originally Yamchu, Elfman and Tenshinhan had come to the former training grounds of Fallen Phoenix in order to prepare for the upcoming competition. The sudden appearance of the human Lycanoo and old friend of Yamchu, Toma, made them to change their plans.

"And you are sure that King wants to meet me?" Yamchu wanted to know.

"He didn't order me personally. It was Greyfur-dono, his right hand man, who told me to invite you on behalf of King-sama." Toma replied. "He was the one who used the magic to transform me into a human as well."

Elfman and Tenshinhan followed them listening to the conversation. "I'm excited about the meeting with the Lycanoos." Elfman stated. "I've heard from Lisanna that they are pretty strong."

Tenshinhan agreed nodding. He remembered the recent incident quite well. He approached Yamchu questioning if he was really sure to meet with the Lycanoo's king.

"I can trust Toma." Yamchu ensured. "I've been waiting for a long time to confront King. He'll finally have to answer me for exiling me and my mother."

The group didn't notice that they were already observed by some wolves from afar.

-…-

Meanwhile King and Greyfur were awaiting the arrival of the group. "So the half-blooded bastard is really on the way here?!" he asked his right hand man, sitting on his throne. The wolves' king was a tall man. With his upward standing hair, resembling a brown flame, he looked much like Vegeta, the Black Wolf, but taller, older and wearing a beard around his mouth.

"Indeed." Greyfur replied. "At the time Toma-kun is leading him to this place. He is accompanied by two mages. According to my information, one is Fallen Phoenix' 'Silent Giant' Tenshinhan. The second one is Fairy Tail's 'Beast Man' Elfman." Greyfur was a very short and old man. He was mostly bald but he had shoulder-long, dark grey hair at the rims of the head. A large scar was diagonally crossing his right eye, which had been blind since he had been wounded there.

"I leave the welcoming of our 'guests' to you, old man." King ordered.

Greyfur agreed nodding and left.

-…-

Sophie, Jean and Cathy were still on the way to Liliana.

Watching out of the window Sophie recognized the landscape. "We are about to arrive at Liliana soon." she stated.

Cathy agreed nodding. "Do you already have a plan for finding Yamchu and the others?" she wanted to know.

"We should check the academy first." Sophie suggested. "They are probably using the training grounds there." she supposed. "I already have a list of other locations, which we should check, in my mind." she added.

"What if they …" Cathy was about to ask but the conversation was disturbed by a strange noise. It was Jean who had been asleep for almost the whole train ride. His snore could be heard all the time in the background but was now getting louder. "He knows what nerves are … How can he sleep in a situation like this?" Cathy sighed. "I rather feel nervous at the moment."

"Jean certainly felt the same before. It's some kind of quirk of him to calm down and finally fall asleep when riding a vehicle." Sophie explained. "We should save the details for later."

In that moment the voice of a woman was announcing the soon arrival at Liliana causing Jean to wake up immediately. In his mind he tried to recall his dreams. 'Offspring. Dragon. Sternradio. Capricorn. Crashing Flame. Janus. God Slayer. Phoenix. Get stronger. Stronger…' fragments of thoughts were running through his mind. But for the moment it was more important to concentrate on their current task.

"Are you ready?" Jean asked his teammates preparing for leaving the train.

-…-

[Some time later]

Yamchu, Elfman, Tenshinhan and Toma finally arrived at the Lycanoos' location. It was a vast clearing in the depths of the forest but the place was unusually dark, being overshadowed by a gigantic tree standing in the center.

Using his magic Tenshinhan created a third eye on his forehead in order to observe the surroundings. He assumed to see some Lycanoos but to his surprise there wasn't any around.

The figure of a short person appeared in front of the team and was getting closer. "Welcome to the residence of the Lycanoo tribe." old man Greyfur greeted them.

"It's Greyfur-dono, the right hand man of King." Yamchu explained to Elfman and Tenshinhan. "Don't get fooled by his appearance! A long time ago he was the king of all Lycanoos. It is even claimed that he was the first wolf who ever transformed into a human."

"As you wished I've brought Yamchu-kun and his companions with me." Toma stated referring to the team.

"Good work, Toma-kun." Greyfur replied contentedly. "You can retreat for now. I'll lead our guests to the king's place personally."

While Toma left the group, the old man showed them the way inside the gigantic tree, which happened to be a large throne room with the king residing.

"Wow, there's a building inside the tree." Elfman realized amazed.

Tenshinhan was fascinated as well but soon noticed the strong aura coming from the shadowy figure sitting on the throne in the centre of the room, which they were approaching.

"King, the guests have arrived." Greyfur annunciated.

"Yamchu, it's been a long time since we met for the last time." King welcomed his guest.

"Although, I didn't plan to come here, I appreciate your invitation." Yamchu replied.

"Invitation, you say?!" the king seemed to be quite confused about the statement. "You don't need to hide it – I already know that you are planning on taking over my throne." he claimed. "Ever since you wreaked havoc in the Lycanoo forest, I'm well aware that you are after my life."

"W-what are you saying?!" Yamchu wondered taken aback.

"That must be a misunderstanding ..." Elfman tried to assist him but was soon cut off by a gesture of Greyfur. The team noticed that they were completely surrounded by many Lycanoos.

"We are already informed about your intentions." the old man claimed. "There's no point in denying it. You even brought a mage here, who is well known to be able to take over the powers of beasts." he said referring to Elfman. "What shall we do with the intruders?" Greyfur asked the king.

"According to our regulations they will undergo the trial tomorrow." King commanded.

Yamchu and Elfman were prepared to fight back. But a gesture of Tenshinhan persuaded them to remain calm for the moment – considering that they were hopelessly outnumbered, it was probably the best decision.

-…-

[In the evening]

In order to find Yamchu, Elfman and Tenshinhan, the team of Sophie, Jean and Cathy had split up for checking out different locations. The sun was already setting. Without any results Sophie had returned for the meeting place – a waterspout fountain in the centre of the town's market.

Her brother Jean was the next one to return. She was about to ask him but he already shook his head signalizing that he couldn't find a trace of them.

After a while Cathy got there as well. She had been checking the academy which was located outside the town. "I'm sorry but I couldn't find them." the girl admitted.

"We neither." Sophie replied.

"But I have some hints." Cathy revealed. "I asked some people around and found out that they had been seen in the area this morning. Someone told me that four people headed for the forest and the descriptions of three of them match the appearance of Yamchu, Elfman and Tenshinhan.

"I don't know why but it seems as if they went for the Lycanoos' location." Sophie concluded.

Jean agreed nodding.

"That's the worst scenario possible." Cathy stated despondently. "How should we proceed now?"

"We need to follow them." Sophie suggested. She took some piece of paper out of her bag. "Lupina-sama gave me this map of the Lycanoos' hideout."

"We mustn't confront the Lycanoos carelessly." Cathy warned her mates. "Even Ace and Tenshinhan had problems fighting them the last time."

"We should wait until tomorrow before taking any action." Jean suggested. "In the darkness we are at a disadvantage against the wolves' senses."

Reluctantly Sophie and Cathy agreed to the fact. They felt bad for letting their friends down but for the moment they didn't have any other choice.

-…-

[At the same time at the Lycanoos' location]

Yamchu, Elfman and Tenshinhan had been imprisoned in a cell inside a dark cave. According to King's orders their trial was set up for the next day.

"A man shouldn't be trapped like this!" Elfman complained about the situation studying the bars of the prison. "These bars look strong but with my Take Over Iron Bull I should be able to break through."

"You shouldn't even think about breaking out." a young man's voice suddenly appeared from another cell. "There are too many guards around the prison."

"This voice…" Yamchu recognized the other prisoner. "Vegeta!" he shouted out loud.

Tenshinhan and Elfman were shocked at this revelation. "Did you say Vegeta?! The Black Wolf who attacked you in the forest?" Elfman wanted to know.

"Don't tell me that you are still mad about me hurting your comrades." Vegeta replied mockingly.

"How dare you?!" Elfman reacted furiously but was calmed down by Tenshinhan.

"Let's leave that for later." Yamchu decided. "I would like to know how you ended up being imprisoned here as well?"

"That's none of your business!" Vegeta replied harshly. After a while he decided otherwise. "Well, it doesn't mind if I tell you: After the incident with you and your comrades I returned here hoping for my father's help. Unfortunately he has become paranoid and is afraid of me trying to take his throne."

"Well, I can understand him." Yamchu stated.

"It's Greyfur-dono's scheme." Vegeta went on explaining. "He is deceiving father filling his mind with mistrust. By now King doesn't allow anyone getting close to him except for the old man. But in truth Greyfur-dono is the one plotting to take the throne – he's just waiting for an opportunity. I can't allow this to happen!"

"Maybe he arranged our capture as well." Elfman concluded.

"And what can you do about this?" Yamchu wondered.

"Despite our conflicts we should join our forces and find a way to escape." Vegeta proposed to the surprise of the team. "I don't like the idea either but together we can stop Greyfur-dono."

-…-

[At the same time at Fairy Tail]

Lupina the ex-queen of the Lycanoo tribe was on the way back to her deserted home. Her underlings had either left for following Vegeta's lead or had been killed by his servant Garm – the wolf with the Acid Claw. She wanted at least provide the fallen ones a proper burial.

Shortly after entering the dark forest she noticed some noises from behind the trees. "Who is there? You can't hide from me!"

"Your senses are as sharp as always." a familiar voice appeared. The Lycanoo Garm revealed himself in front of her eyes. "But don't you think that it was too careless to return here alone? I still have the order to present your head to master Vegeta. I should thank you for this opportunity." he mocked her.

"Haven't you been defeated by the dragon slayer?!" the woman wondered referring to fight between Gajeel, Yuna and Garm.

"Shortly after my defeat I retransformed into my wolf form and could use the full extend of the regeneration magic." Garm stated while taking a pendant out of his vest. "Since Vegeta-sama had me given this magic stone it was an easy task to transform into a human again."

"Is that the reason why you decided to follow him?! Tell me where he received this magic from!" Lupina demanded enraged.

For a second Garm flinched from her fury but soon prepared for fighting her. "In your current state you are no opponent for me!"

Suddenly the letters L-I-G-H-T appeared above them illuminating the whole area.

"It was a good idea to follow Lupina-sama." a girl's voice stated.

"Yeah, I had some kind of presentiment that something like this would happen." the girl who had casted the spell replied.

* * *

><p>What's the truth behind Vegeta's words? And who has come to save Lupina?<p>

next chapter: The trial


	31. Chapter 31: The trial I

Comments are welcome.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>[At the Lycanoos' location] <em>

"_This voice…" Yamchu recognized the other prisoner. "Vegeta!" […]_

_-…-_

_"It's Greyfur-dono's scheme." Vegeta went on explaining. "He is deceiving father filling his mind with mistrust. By now King doesn't allow anyone getting close to him except for the old man. But in truth Greyfur-dono is the one plotting to take the throne […]_

_-…-_

_"Despite our conflicts we should join our forces and find a way to escape." Vegeta proposed to the surprise of the team. […]_

_-…-_

_[At the same time at Fairy Tail: Lupina vs. Garm]_

_Suddenly the letters L-I-G-H-T appeared above them illuminating the whole area._

_"It was a good idea to follow Lupina-sama." a girl's voice stated._

_"Yeah, I had some kind of presentiment that something like this would happen." the girl who had casted the spell replied._

Chapter 31: The trial - Part I

"Why did you follow me?" Lupina asked Levy and Yuna who appeared behind her.

"We still have unfinished business with that guy." Levy stated determined referring to the Lycanoo Garm who was responsible for Gajeel's serious injuries.

"That's right!" Yuna added in a serious tone. "We are sorry, Lupina-sama, if it looks like we have been using you as a bait – that wasn't our intention." she apologized to the female Lycanoo.

"Uuwaah! I'm scared!" Garm replied crying in an exaggeratedly sarcastic way courting the girls' resentment. "I wonder what you can do against me with your pathetic skills?!" he mocked them.

"Don't let him provoke you." Lupina calmed her supporters. "He will realize soon enough that we shouldn't be underestimated!" In the moment she finished the sentence she charged towards the opponent extremely fast. Unable to react properly, Garm received a pound in the face. "Uaarghh!" He was sent flying back crashing through several trees.

"Wow!" Yuna simply stated amazed by the brute force of the queen.

"That was a pretty short fight." Levy complimented Lupina astonished. "I wonder why we even came here…"

"That wasn't enough to finish this opponent." Lupina objected the Fairies' amazement. "You better are prepared." her warning was soon followed by the noises of a wild beast approaching them.

A bloodthirsty, upright standing wolf with a long-haired, wild and green-brown fur appeared. Most remarkable were his protrudent corner teeth, which had grown to an enormous size. A green liquid was dripping from his claws and teeth.

"How the hell can he recover from such a severe hit?!" Levy couldn't believe her eyes.

"He has retransformed into his original form." Yuna explained remembering her fight against Vegeta. "The Black Wolf had lost his reason in the process. If it's the same with this guy we might be able to trick him."

"I'm afraid that it's different this time." Lupina stated. "He is carrying some kind of magic stone that allows him to control the transformation." she referred to the pendant that was now visibly hanging from the wolf's neck. "I could probably defeat him by retransforming as well but I would lose my sanity and attack you as well."

"Enough of your babbling!" the wolf interrupted the conversation with a menacing, growling voice. "I lust for your blood!" He released a huge wave of acid saliva from his mouth.

'Damn! We can't avoid this!' Yuna thought while trying to get out of the way.

Intuitively Levy casted the letters that came into her mind: "W-A-T-E-R!" The word appeared in front of the team and washed the acid wave away.

"Water?" Lupina was surprised. "It's very convenient that you can use this kind of magic."

Yuna remembered her fight against the other Lycanoo some time ago. "That's it! But we need more of it!" she prepared for her next actions loading two different kinds of bullets into her silver desert eagle MK XIX.

"Ok." Levy agreed to the suggestion and started to concentrate her magic.

"Do you really think that I would fall for such lame trick?!" Garm charged at them in order to slash them with his claws.

Lupina tried to counterattack him from the side but was easily grabbed at the neck. The Lycanoo was holding the queen high in the air squashing her airway. He then noticed that Yuna was aiming at him but didn't pay any attention since her bullets couldn't get through his thick fur.

"Flash-Gun!" instead of a bullet Yuna released a sudden flash light that managed to blind the opponent for a moment.

Despite being in his grasp, Lupina could use the distraction and tore the pendant off his neck.

"Wha-wh … di … y …" Garm tried to reply as his human senses were fading away bit by bit. The confused wolf released the queen from his grasp.

"I'm ready." Levy signalized. "You need to get out of the way, Lupina-sama!"

"Just finish him!" Lupina was hardly able to speak and unable to move.

According to the queen's order Levy went on and casted a bigger script W-A-T-E-R. The letters appeared above the wolf and a flush of the liquid was floating down drenching him and the queen.

Yuna was ready to shoot her Electrical Bullets but was still hesitating since the shock could hit Lupina as well. "Please get out there!" she pleaded having her eyes closed and finally decided to fire at the Lycanoo.

The wolf instinctively jumped in the air avoiding the attack. The bullets hit in the wet ground and released an electrical shock on everything that was soaked with the water – including Lupina.

"Raaaaah!" the queen screamed being electrocuted to the horror of Levy and Yuna.

Garm landed in front of her preparing to finish her. He grabbed her head and held her high in the air. With her last strength she transformed her hand into a claw where a fair amount of lightning magic was concentrated. She rammed the claw into his upper body and released the magic finishing him finally. Both opponents fell back to the ground.

Levy and Yuna hurried over to Lupina's side but it was too late. "Finally … I was able … to get vengeance … for my tribe …" the queen stated confidently while breathing her life out.

-…-

[One hour later at Liliana]

Sophie and Cathy were spending the night at the Bouvier's mansion – the home of Sophie's and Jean's parents – and prepared for getting to bed. Jean on the other hand didn't stay there since he still had an own apartment in Liliana. Since their parents were wizards as well they were in possession of a communication lacrima.

"The lacrima as reacting." Cathy noticed. "Is someone calling us?"

In that moment the image of director Makarov appeared in the crystal orb. "I hope I don't disturb you…" he was about to say slowly realizing that the girls were already in their nightdresses. With a deep red blush he turned his head to the side. "Harrumph. Well, I wanted to ask you about how your mission is proceeding."

"Unfortunately Yamchu-kun, Tenshinhan-kun and Elfman-san aren't in the town anymore." Sophie explained. "We are afraid that they already went to the Lycanoos' location. We will check it out tomorrow."

"This is bad news. In that case the order is canceled." Makarov decided. "You mustn't confront the Lycanoos at any circumstances!"

"Why would Lupina-sama change her request?" Sophie wondered.

"Well, truth is that Lupina-sama isn't alive anymore. She was killed by the Lycanoo who had attacked Gajeel and Yuna prior." Makarov revealed to the shock of the girls.

"But we can't leave Yamchu and the others behind like that!" Cathy intervened.

"We should at least confirm their whereabouts and then wait for backup." Sophie supported her friend.

Makarov was considering the suggestion. "Can you manage to arrange that without confronting the Lycanoos?" he wanted to know.

"You can leave it to me." Sophie replied confidently.

"Ok. Here is someone who has additional information that could be useful for your task." the director referred to Yuna and Levy that were standing behind him.

"It's good to see that you are alright." Yuna greeted her friends being depressed about the recent incident. "We were totally helpless against the Lycanoo. If Lupina-sama hadn't given her life, he would have certainly killed everyone." she explained with tears. "At least we were able to find something out about the Transformation Magic." she took out the pendant. "Apparently the Lycanoos can use Magic Stones like this and control their transformations."

"Hm, that's a dangerous treat." Sophie concluded.

"The Black Wolf was almost undefeatable in his true form." Cathy added. "I don't want to imagine what happens if he can transform whenever he pleases."

"You need to remove the pendant." Yuna explained. "Then the spell is broken. Levy is already studying books about Transformation Magic. We'll report to you if we find more hints."

"Ok. By the way – do you have any news of Lisanna?" Sophie wanted to know.

"Lisanna?" Yuna was confused since she didn't know about Lisanna's disappearance yet.

"Macao-san contacted me today." Makarov partook in the conversation again. "On his way he met with the team. Everyone is alright and they are returning to Fairy Tail."

"Really?!" Sophie was surprised about the good news. "That's good to hear."

"Jean will be glad to hear that." Cathy added.

"Alright, we will report you back as soon as we have further information." Sophie was referring to the whereabouts of Yamchu, Elfman and Tenshinhan and ended the conversation.

-…-

The scouting team – Sophie, Cathy and Jean – met early the next morning. Jean was visibly surprised by the news about Lisanna being alright and returning to Fairy Tail. The reveal of Lupina-sama's death was certainly a shock for him but he didn't show it. The incident was proof of the Lycanoos' dangerousness and they had to hurry in order to save their friends.

-…-

[At the Lycanoos' location]

Yamchu, Elfman, Tenshinhan and Vegeta were escorted to a crater forming a huge arena. Elfman and Tenshinhan were the first ones to be thrown down into the hole. The stone walls around it were pretty high and hard to climb. Additionally they were guarded by several wolves.

King entered the arena, accompanied by his right-hand man Greyfur. He took a seat in a throne like stone formation. Almost the whole tribe was gathering for the event.

"Welcome!" the King greeted his subordinates. "For today I have sentenced these four conspirers to fight against each other in the trial. Greyfur will explain you the details."

"The fights are one on one." the old Lycanoo started the explanation. "The first fight is between our 'guests' Beast Man Elfman and Silent Giant Tenshinhan. The following fight is between the Black Wolf Vegeta and the Lost Prince Yamchu."

Yamchu frowned at that title.

"The winners will then fight against each other." Greyfur went on explaining. "The last one standing will battle against our great king. If he manages to win that fight, he can obtain his freedom again." Since King was considered to be the strongest Lycanoo alive, this chance was rather small.

"Then let's begin with the first fight." King stated opening the first duel between Elfman and Tenshinhan.

The opponents were examining each other hesitatingly.

'I hope the plan will work.' Elfman thought and decided to make the first move. "Beast Arm: Black Bull!" transforming his right arm he charged at Tenshinhan and punched him but his opponent was able to stop the attack with his left hand. 'Uh! He stopped the attack!' Elfman thought surprised. 'I figured that he would try to dodge.'

Tenshinhan then used his right fist to strike Elfman in the face and forced him to move back.

From outside the ring Yamchu and Vegeta watched the duel. "This bald guy is really something – to be able to fight back against the beast." Vegeta stated slightly impressed referring to Tenshinhan overpowering Elfman little by little. "Although they're just using half of their magic this fight could get interesting."

The Silent Giant then grabbed his right shoulder with his left hand and concentrated the magic growing a third arm in the process.

"Just what kind of magic is that?" Vegeta commented confused. "I don't really get how it works."

"This is Flow Magic. The caster can focus it in a single spot and then let it flow between the parts of the body." Yamchu explained since he knew the powers of his friend pretty well. "This way he can absorb direct hits easily by diverting the flow of the opponent's incoming magic through the body or even create additional body parts by overdosing."

"Hm, I guess it only works thanks to his high stamina and trained body." Vegeta figured out. "And you really think that we can use this ability to escape?"

"I hope it." Yamchu replied. "Everything depends on Elf-kun now."

-…-

[Somewhere in the Black Forest]

With the help of a map the scouting team was getting closer to the Lycanoos' hideout pretty fast. Sophie used several flying Vision Agents – little spherical lacrimas with the picture of an eye on them – in order to observe the area in front and around the team's way.

Suddenly she stopped. "I've detected a few opponents – probably guards." she revealed. "There are three of them and they are hiding at different locations ahead of us. They are blocking our path."

"Have they already spotted us?" Cathy wanted to know.

"No, it doesn't look like." Sophie replied.

"We should split and finish them one on one before they have the chance to warn the other Lycanoos." Jean suggested.

"It might not be that easy." Sophie objected. "With their subtle senses they are alarmed of your presence before you can approach them. You shouldn't underestimate the Lycanoos' sense of smell." she warned the others. "At least I should be fine since I can attack from the distance."

"I have an idea." Cathy intervened concentrating her magic. "Scent of Daphne!" she created several blossoms and handed them to her comrades. "You can use them to conceal your smell. That way you should be able to approach the wolves without difficulty." she explained.

"Alright, then it's settled." Sophie summed up. "We confront the guards and finish them quickly. Follow these orbs. They show you a save way."

Then the team split up and headed out.

-…-

[At the arena]

Elfman and Tenshinhan were still having their duel. For some time Tenshinhan seemed to overpower the Beast Man but then Elfman transformed his arms and upper body into that of a scaled, reptilian creature in order to improve his defense.

"Lizardman is a defensive Takeover and additionally damages an opponent who attacks using his bare hands." Elfman explained. "Let's see if you can break my scales. Your hands or my body – this fight will be determined by whatever breaks first."

Without saying anything Tenshinhan analyzed the new tactic of his opponent and his third arm grew back. He created a third eye on the forehead in order to detect a weak point. Tenshinhan then focused all of his magic in his right fist and charged at Elfman.

Seeing through the intention, Elfman crossed his arms in front his upper body.

Unimpressed Tenshinhan found a spot to get through and with full power he landed a clear hit in Elfman's face. By breaking through the scales he severely injured his right fist and arm. Nevertheless the strike was too much for Elfman who transformed back while going down on his knees.

"Looks like the fight is over." Vegeta commented and looked over to King and Greyfur.

Curiously neither King nor Greyfur did take any action. After a while King finally rose to speak. "Why aren't you going on? This fight isn't over yet!" he demanded.

"Maybe we haven't explained one rule yet." Greyfur added. "This duel is a fight to the death! It's not over until one of you is lying dead on the ground! If you object to this, we will simply execute both duelists." he revealed to the shock of everyone.

* * *

><p>notes:<p>

The first part wasn't planned to happen in this chapter. That's why I had to split in two parts.

Lisanna's save return was indeed planned from the very beginning. There will be more details in later chapters.

next chapter: The trial - Part II


	32. Chapter 32: The trial II

Well, the story frame is about the trial but this chapter concentrates on the individual magics of the scouting team members as well.

Comments are welcome.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>"Finally … I was able … to get vengeance … for my tribe …" the queen stated confidently while breathing her life out.<em>

_-…-_

_"Apparently the Lycanoos can use Magic Stones like this and control their transformations." […] "You need to remove the pendant." Yuna explained. "Then the spell is broken._

_-…-_

_Sophie: "We confront the guards and finish them quickly. […]"_

_-…-_

_Unimpressed Tenshinhan found a spot to get through […]. Nevertheless the strike was too much for Elfman who transformed back while going down on his knees._

_-…-_

_Greyfur: "This duel is a fight to the death! It's not over until one of you is lying dead on the ground! […]_

Chapter 32: The trial – Part II

Holding his injured right arm with the left hand, Tenshinhan stood in front of the defeated Elfman. He was left with the choice to either kill his opponent or to be executed as well.

From the side Yamchu and Vegeta commented on the turn of events. "What should we do now?" Yamchu was worried. "We didn't expect a situation like this."

"I hope he doesn't make a mistake." Vegeta replied. "The success of our plan depends on his decision."

After considering the options for a moment, Tenshinhan decided that taking the life of a comrade was out of question and turned around proceeding to leave the arena despite the consequences.

"What are you about to do?!" an exhausted Elfman challenged his comrade's decision. "This way we'll just get killed both. Finish it!" he demanded while getting up again slowly. His words made Tenshinhan hesitating a second. "COME ON!" Elfman shouted after his mate. "FINISH IT, IF YOU ARE A MAN!"

Everyone around was watching the scene excitedly. Finally Tenshinhan had focused the last remains of his magic in the left hand. He turned around, charged at Elfman and pushed his hand at the latter's torso. The magic flows of the opponents were connected making Elfman's body glow and slowly dispersing into little pieces of light.

In the end there was nothing left of the white-haired man. Except for Yamchu, the audience wasn't quite sure what had happened. After a while King stood up declaring satisfied the end of the fight. The watching Lycanoos turned their heads to the sky and released a loud howl simultaneously.

-…-

[In the prison]

The howl could be well heard in the cave, making the remaining guards heading out for the event.

"This was the signal." a man's voice came from the darkest corner of one of the cells. "It's time to make my move!"

-…-

[Scouting team vs. Lycanoo guards]

Even from afar Jean was able to hear the synchronized howl. He was about to confront the guarding Lycanoo. 'Something's going on! It seems that I don't have any more time to waste.' he concluded releasing all his magic at once. Without hesitation he charged at his opponent. "Fire Attribute: Heat Fists!" he attacked the wolf with his red glowing fists. Thanks to its speed the Lycanoo could avoid most of the punches but in the end Jean managed to land few clear hits.

Nevertheless the wolf was able to recover pretty quickly and seemed to be unimpressed.

"Alright…" Jean realized that he had to change his tactic. "How about this: Earth Attribute!" he hit his right fist on the ground. "Earth Shaking!" a little quake caused the Lycanoo to lose balance. Jean used the opportunity, concentrated his magic between the hands and pushed them against the opponent's torso. "Gravity Impact!"

Despite being thrown to the back, the Lycanoo managed to land on the feet sliding over the ground. Even after receiving the full blow he could get up again quickly.

'What's going on?!' Jean thought unbelievingly. 'Even Natsu wasn't able to handle this one…'

Now the Lycanoo was about to attack the mage.

Keeping his calm Jean closed his eyes and recalled a certain, strong spell he had used recently. The Lycanoo was about to strike him with the right claw but Jean avoided the attack by ducking intuitively. "Heavenward!" with an uppercut he sent the wolf flying upwards to the sky.

"Puh, that wasn't half as effective as when I was fused with Lisanna." Jean realized gasping. "My magic isn't even close to back then."

The Lycanoo was falling down towards the ground again. Still in the air it managed to recover and attacked Jean, who was standing underneath, by slashing him diagonally with the claw.

"Wh-wha…" unable to get the situation properly the wounded Jean sank down to his knees.

-…-

[A few moments earlier]

Sophie was heading for the Lycanoo that had been spotted by two Vision Agents. Instead of confronting her opponent head on, she decided to attack from the distance and summoned four Lacrima orbs. These so called Beam Agents were filled with light magic and had the picture of a sun on them.

Shortly after hearing the wolves' howl from far away, she suddenly felt a strong magic being released. 'Is that Jean?' she wondered. 'It feels like he is going all out at once. This kind of tactic is pretty unusual.' she thought but for the moment she had to concentrate on her own opponent.

The guard hadn't realized yet that he was already observed by Sophie's Vision Agents, which were floating in the air between the leaves of the trees.

The Beam Agents were taking positions, hiding between the leaves as well. When finished, they shot yellow blasts towards the target on the ground.

In the last moment the wolf jumped out of the way instinctively. The orbs continued shooting but the target kept on moving and was able to avoid most of the attacks. He was hit a few times - but only scratched. After detecting were the beams were coming from, the Lycanoo headed for a tree and jumped up the braches into the air. He finally came close enough to the Agents and slashed three of them with his claws. Back on the ground he realized that the fire had been ceased.

"I didn't consider that you would be clever enough to destroy the orbs." Sophie commented while leaving her hideout. "You have destroyed one of my Vision Agents and with the remaining one I'm not able to follow your movements properly." she explained as if the wolf would be able to understand.

"How could you approach me that easily?!" the wolf replied wondering. "It looks like you are somehow concealing your smell." he stated while transforming into a human. The Lycanoo was no other than Yamchu's old friend Toma.

"I have already had the feeling that you aren't an ordinary Lycanoo." Sophie stated referring to the unusual tactic of her opponent. "You are using that ominous magic that allows you to control your transformation." she concluded. "Can the other guards use it as well?"

"No, I'm the only one that was bestowed with that power by Greyfur-dono." Toma replied demonstrating the pendant. "I have to admit that I really like this body. I don't need to rely on my senses in order to defeat you. It was huge mistake to leave your hideout!" he stated threateningly and transformed his hands into black claws.

Sophie felt that her brother was losing his fight. "That's fine with me. I don't have the time to chat with you any longer." she stated while shooting a light chain at the Lycanoo's upper body. "Vision Share! Now I'm able to see through your eyes. You can only break the bind by getting far away from me – but I won't let you."

"Who wants to run away?! I'll just finish you right here and now." Toma charged at the girl fast and slashed her throat with his left claw. Just in that moment her image disappeared to the wolf's confusion. "Wha…" the Lycanoo realized that the real Sophie was standing an inch to the right of him. Before being able to get the situation, he was stabbed in the chest by her left hand.

"Heart Break!" Sophie activated a spell. "Oh. I forget to say, that Vision Share allows me to manipulate what my opponent sees." she then drew her hand back out of the body. Toma sank down to his knees. "Don't worry – it won't kill you." Sophie revealed. "When this spell hits properly, it reduces the opponent's fighting spirit down to zero. You won't be able to act normally for a while now." she explained.

At the same moment Cathy arrived at the scene as well.

"Oh. So you have already won your fight?" Sophie was delighted about her friend being alright.

"Yes. The Lycanoo didn't have any chance against my magic." Cathy replied. "And what about Jean?"

"He lost." Sophie replied disappointed. "At least it looks like he's still ok. But before we move on, I want this Lycanoo to answer me some questions." she stated referring to the broken-hearted Toma.

-…-

[A few moments earlier]

Cathy was already confronting the guard when she heard the wolves' howls from far away. She was being attacked by her opponent several times but thanks to her reflexes, Cathy could avoid the strikes. While being forced in the defensive, she came up with a tactic to turn the battle. "Sakura no Hana!" she released several white and pink petals of a Japanese Cherry distracting the Lycanoo.

After the wolf had lost her sight for a second, he detected her again standing to its left side.

While dancing around in a circular motion, Cathy released even more petals. "Sakura no Umi!" her spell covered the whole place with the cherry blossoms, making it impossible to see anything.

Using his fine sense the Lycanoo was able to detect Cathie's smell and charged at her direction. He approached the surprised girl from the left side and slashed her body with the claw. Suddenly Cathie's image turned out to be a fake created from the blossoms. It slowly dispersed into the mass of petals all around.

"As long as you rely on your senses, you can't beat me." the girl's voice came from an unknown direction. "I saved my scent inside the daphne." she revealed referring to the light pink blossom, which was lying to the feet of the Lycanoo. Judged on the fact that her opponent wasn't reacting to her talking, Cathy concluded that it was an ordinary Lycanoo without transformation magic.

The Lycanoo continued attacking several fakes, which Cathy had created with her spell Hanami. Using the opportunity, the girl left the sphere filled with petals. "Fire Red Rose!" She summoned a red blossom and threw it into the place. In the moment of contact, the whole sphere was ignited into a huge flame.

After a moment the fire disappeared again, when all petals had been burnt. The injured and defeated wolf was lying on the ground.

"Until now I've never imagined that I could use the fast flammability of my Sakura's to my advantage." Cathy stated to herself. "I luckily still had a Rose with Ace-san's magic left." Turning around she wondered how the others were doing and headed towards their direction.

-…-

[At the same time]

Jean was lying on the ground pretty injured. The Lycanoo turned away and proceeded to leave the place, convinced by the obvious fact that the opponent had been defeated.

'That was close!' Jean was still conscious. 'Luckily my corpulent body prevented me from receiving major damage. But it's really a shame, that I'm losing like this.' he thought analyzing his situation. 'The fur…!' he finally realized. 'It's absorbing the effects of my magic. I need a spell with cutting effect in order to get through it.'

The leaving Lycanoo noticed that Jean was getting up again. It turned around and charged at the opponent.

Since his left shoulder was injured, Jean could only use the right arm to perform the spell. 'I have only one chance...' He focused the attributes ice and wind on the right hand creating a light blue glowing blade. "Frost Blade!" The opponents passed each other with Jean being cut on the right shoulder.

One moment later the Lycanoo realized being cut diagonally over the body and fell down.

-…-

[At the same time in the arena]

After the shocking events of the first duel, the half brothers Yamchu and Vegeta had to fight against each other. They also had to fight on until the death of one of the opponents.

Vegeta could only use his human form, since he would lose his reason after retransforming into a wolf again. This time he solely had to rely on his Black Claw. Yamchu on the other side had only transformed his hands and arms into wolf claws.

"Why are you holding back?!" Vegeta put his opponent's tactic into question. His pride was obviously hurt. "If you aren't going all out, I'll use this to my advantage. And don't forget – considering the circumstances I won't refrain from killing you." he revealed with a sarcastic grin.

"In that case I won't hold back either." Yamchu replied and transformed into a large, grey wolf. With increased speed and strength he charged at Vegeta. His concentrated magic formed into the image of a red glowing wolf. "Wolf Fang Fist!" he stroke with the right claw towards Vegeta's face.

In the last second Vegeta managed to dodge to the side but was still scratched on his left cheek. Unimpressed he prepared for the counter by putting his palms together while spreading the fingers. His concentrated magic formed into the image of black glowing wolf. "Wolf Fang Canon!" Vegeta shot the wolf's glowing head towards Yamchu.

Instead of dodging the attack, Yamchu blocked it with his thrust out claws. His arms and hands were injured in the process. Most the blood was soaking the left claw.

"Shit!" Vegeta realized the intention of his opponent. "Don't tell he can use the blood now?" in order to avoid whatever would follow, Vegeta jumped into the air.

Yamchu hold out with the left claw. "Red Spiral Claw!" with one strike he released a spiral shaped blade of blood against Vegeta. In the air the latter wasn't able to get out of the way and was cut several times all over his body.

The defeated Vegeta fell back down. "Wh-what are you wa-waiting for? It's your t-turn to finish it." he gasped lying on the ground.

"No, it won't end like this." Yamchu replied transforming back into a human. "It's finally time for…"

* * *

><p>Sorry, that the chapter ends here but it's the most exciting moment, I guess. I already foreshadowed a bit but you can expect a turn of events.<p>

notes:

Cathie's spells: Sakura no Hana – Bloom of Cherry Blossoms; Sakura no Umi – Ocean of Cherry Blossoms; Hanami – Vision of Cherry Blossoms; The spell Hanami can only be used when Sakura no Umi is active.

Jean's spells: Frost Blade is a reduced version of Arctic Storm Blade but it has the advantage that only one hand is required to perform it.

next chapter: Control


	33. Chapter 33: Control

Sorry for the late update. The chapter was practically finished for a long time but I had to overthink the ending part to reorder the chain of events. In the end I cut out some fighting scenes, which will take place in the following chapter.

Comments are welcome.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>[TRIAL 1<em>_st__ duel: Tenshinhan vs. Elfman]_

"_COME ON!" Elfman shouted after his mate. "FINISH IT IF YOU ARE A MAN!"_

_[…]He turned around, charged at Elfman and pushed his hand at the latter's torso. The magic flow of the opponents was connected making Elfman's body glow and slowly dispersing into little pieces of light._

_-…-_

_[In the prison]_

"_This was the signal." a man's voice came from the darkest corner of a cell. "It's time to make my move!"_

_-…-_

_[TRIAL 2nd duel: Yamchu vs. Vegeta]_

_The defeated Vegeta fell back down. "Wh-what are you wa-waiting for? It's your t-turn to finish it." he gasped lying on the ground._

"_No, it won't end like this." Yamchu replied transforming back into a human. "It's finally time for…"_

Chapter 33: Control

Before Yamchu could finish the sentence, a loud, crashing noise was catching everyone's attention. Two defeated Lycanoos were sent flying over the place. 'Finally!' Yamchu thought knowing who the disturber was.

Greyfur looked up noticing a big, shadowy figure jumping in the air above the throne, where King was sitting. "King! Watch out!" he alarmed the latter pointing to the sky.

It was Elfman who was about to attack King. He had his right arm transformed into the Iron Bull. King managed to stand up and to get out of the way. But the Lycanoo wasn't Elfman's true aim. With all force he struck the throne and the ground underneath resulting in the whole platform to break apart. With his left hand Elfman grabbed a stone in the wall to avoid falling down.

Greyfur was losing the ground beneath the feet. In the last moment he turned around hanging at the edge of the broken platform with both hands. King on the other hand wasn't so lucky and crushed down into the arena along with the broken pieces of rock.

The slightly injured King emerged from the pile of stones. "I see, that was your plan all along." he realized. "But how is that possible? I clearly saw, that this guy was annihilated by the bold one." he was referring to the end of the duel between Elfman and Tenshinhan.

"That one was a fake." Yamchu replied. "Tenshinhan infused half of his magic into Elf-kun's body and created a double. The real one was just hiding in a dark corner of the cell when we had been escorted to the arena."

"You don't need to get into details." Vegeta interrupted the explanation. "Let's defeat King together!" With his black claws he charged towards his father. King easily avoided the attack of his son, who was still weakened from the duel. He grabbed Vegeta's head and rammed it forceful into the ground.

Yamchu transformed his hands into claws and went for Vegeta's help.

King grabbed Vegeta at the head and easily threw him towards the approaching opponent. Bumping into each other Yamchu and Vegeta fell to the ground. King noticed Tenshinhan charging at him from behind with the intention to help his comrades. The Lycanoo turned around pointing with the fore finger and middle finger – transformed into black claws – towards the opponent's head.

Vegeta realized King's intention. "Dodge it!" he shouted over to Tenshinhan.

Despite being confused, Tenshinhan moved his head to the side in order to avoid whatever Vegeta was talking about. Just in that moment he was scratched on the right cheek. 'What the hell was that? I couldn't see anything!' he thought frightened.

"Pah!" King simply stated repeating the same attack several times.

Tenshinhan realized that he would be unable to get out of the way and put his arms in front of his head and torso for protection. Again he was hit by slashes all over the body. Still weakened from the fight with the fake Elfman, he finally went down.

"This was the infamous Shadeless Claw!" Vegeta revealed. "With this magic my father once managed to defeat the former king, Greyfur-dono, and caused him a never-healing wound." he was referring to the scar crossing the old Lycanoo's eye.

"Curse you!" Yamchu was charging at the Lycanoo again.

"Futile!" King dodged the attack by ducking. He then quickly moved to Yamchu's right side and grabbed the latter's throat with his left claw holding him high in the air. "You should have already realized, that you are done for." he mentioned referring to Yamchu in his grasp and the wounded Tenshinhan and Vegeta on the ground. "But don't think I would dirty my hands on traitors like you." he was about to order his servants to finish the opponents.

"Y-you are the one who is done for!" Yamchu responded with a little smirk. "Rule #6: ThouShaltNot speak!" At the same time the number 6 flashed on Tenshinhan's right shoulder.

King failed to command his subordinates. He wasn't able to neither utter any words nor to make other noises. 'What's going on?!' shocked he released Yamchu from his grasp and started to panic turning around to his right-hand man Greyfur for help.

Meanwhile Elfman had already climbed over to Greyfur. With his right hand, transformed into the Bear Arm, he was holding the small, old man captive while grabbing his head. "You better don't make any move! Otherwise I'll crush the old man's head!" he bluffed the wolves being around.

Without any order from King or Greyfur, the Lycanoos didn't know what to do and remained silent.

King realized that no one was coming for his help. In front of him Yamchu was getting up again and fully transformed into the grey wolf. 'Shit! He is going to kill me! I knew he was after my throne!' King thought panicking even more.

Yamchu attacked King with several claw slashes forcing the latter in the defense.

In close combat King wasn't able to use the Shadeless Claw. He decided to jump to the back increasing the distance between them. He then repeated the attack he had used against Tenshinhan, but Yamchu was fast enough to dodge it several times. King changed his tactic and rammed his claw into the ground.

"It's coming from below!" Vegeta wanted to warn Yamchu.

But it was too late. "Guaahhh!" The invisible attack broke through the ground below Yamchu and slashed him vertically over the body. "No problem." the grey wolf gasped and soiled his right claw with the blood. "Red Fang Fist!" he stroke towards his opponent releasing a blade of blood in the shape of wolf head.

King tried to block the attack with both claws but the wolf head changed its route, charged for him again and bit him in the left shoulder. The hit forced King to get down on one knee.

"Damn! He's pretty tough!" Yamchu cursed. Being out of magic he transformed back into a human and fell to the ground on his back. "Huh?" he suddenly noticed a shadow standing next to him. "Vegeta?!"

"You are really useless!" Vegeta replied disgusted. "Originally you were supposed to kill my father, so that I could blame you being a traitor." he revealed while retransforming into a giant black wolf. In the blink of a moment he charged at the kneeling King and slashed him diagonally with his claw.

Defeated, King fell to the ground unconsciously.

'That's bad! He is going berserk again!' Yamchu thought, being unable to move.

"This thing is pretty useful!" Vegeta revealed the pendant that allowed him to keep his human sanity. He then transformed into his human form.

"Since when were you planning to betray us?" Yamchu wanted to know.

"From the very beginning!" he revealed grinning sarcastically.

A crashing noise caused them to turn around to the throne where Elfman and Greyfur had been. Both of them had fallen down along with the collapsing rest of the platform. Only one shadow emerged from the setting dust. The figure suddenly became bigger and bigger and finally revealed being an enormous grey wolf with a large scar crossing the right eye.

"Who is that monster?!" Yamchu remarked referring to the wolf's size exceeding the average Lycanoo by far.

"Don't tell me you didn't know the former king's true form?" Vegeta revealed. "His unordinary long and wild hair gained him the name Greyfur."

Yamchu then noticed Elfman lying injured to Greyfur's feet. "Elf-kun!"

"Have you decided, old man?" Vegeta asked the monster wolf. "King has fallen and I'm the legitimate leader of the tribe. Join my forces and you'll have the unique chance to reclaim your former position."

"I know that you're trying to use me for your purposes." Greyfur replied transforming into the small, old man again. "Concerning the rare magic of the pendants you must have found powerful allies."

-…-

[Scouting team]

In the meantime, Sophie and Cathy had rejoined with Jean, who was still resting from his fight. They were accompanied by Toma in his human form, who wasn't under the effect of Sophie's magic anymore. "Chan chan, you've won your fight, after all." Sophie addressed her brother.

"You know, that I'm a sore loser." Jean responded with a little smirk. "Who's that guy?" he wanted to know referring to the unknown man.

"His name is Toma." Sophie replied. "This Lycanoo can use the transformation magic Yuna-chan told us about. After I used my spell on him, he told me some interesting information: He is actually an old friend of Yamchu-kun. He was ordered to invite Yamchu-kun here, by an old Lycanoo named Greyfur. Tenshinhan-kun and Elfman-san are here as well."

"It's Greyfur-**dono**!" Toma intervened. "At least he was the former king."

"Well, he apparently doesn't know anything about our friends being in danger." Cathy added. "But on the other hand, Lupina-sama was killed by a Lycanoo with the same transformation ability."

"I still can't believe that Queen-sama is dead." Toma didn't want to believe it. "It can't be that Greyfur-dono is the one behind that incident. Since King-sama had become paranoid, he has been taking care of the tribe."

"But there has to be some connection. They are using the same magic that no other Lycanoo possesses." Sophie concluded. "I'm going to contact Makarov-sama. Maybe Yuna-chan and Levy-chan know something more."

-…-

[A few moments earlier at Fairy Tail]

After spending the night reading all available books about or related to Transformation Magic, Levy wanted to inform director Makarov and went to his office. She was accompanied by Yuna. There was no information about the pendant used by the Lycanoo Garm but one passage had caught her attention.

"Oh, Levy-chan, Yuna-chan. What can I do for you?" the director welcomed them.

"I finished reading the books, you gave me." Levy told him.

"In just one night?!" Makarov was astonished. "Could you find out anything?" he wanted to know.

"No, unfortunately. There was no information about the pendant." Levy answered depressed. "But there was one passage that might be related to itand I thought, we should ask if you know something about it." she stated while Yuna took out the relevant book and opened the page. "Please have look, here is a side note referring to a magic called Transformation Control."

Director Makarov was thinking about it for a while.

"We asked Hibiki-kun if he could check the library index for other books referring to it." Levy went on explaining. "He informed us, that there are some books registered but not available. He also told us, that this is very uncommon since quite a few books are concerned."

Her revelation caused the director remembering a certain magic. "Did you say '_Control_'?! It can't be… " he went on pondering.

"Do you know something about it?" Yuna wanted to know.

"Well, I shouldn't tell you about it…" Makarov hesitated explaining what came up in his mind. "Many years ago an institution of the Magic Council was researching the so-called _Brain Magic_. Like the name says it is supposed to increase the caster's intelligence. It allowed wizards to learn different kinds of magic in a relatively short time." he explained. "But in the end they suffered from the side effects: fast aging, loss of memory, delusion and even instantaneous death. Consequently Brain Magic was forbidden by the Council. Nobody was allowed to talk about it and all existing books were destroyed. All known users of this magic are either dead or accommodated in a special-care home."

"And do you think that Transformation Control is related to this forbidden magic?" Levy wondered.

"_Control_ is actually a known variation of it." the director revealed. "It allows the caster to manipulate other creatures to a certain extend and even to control their magic. If my assumption is correct, there is a really powerful wizard pulling the strings behind the recent Lycanoo incident and he/she is the one, who gave those pendants to the Lycanoos."

"Makarov-sama, we are receiving a call." Yuna was referring to the communication lacrima. It was Sophie and her team contacting them.

"Makarov-sama? This is the Scouting Team." Sophie spoke through the lacrima. "We are calling in order to inform you about the current situation."

"I'm listening. Have you already proceeded towards the Lycanoo hideout?" the director wanted to know.

"We have confronted the Lycanoo Toma-kun. He is actually an old friend of Yamchu-kun and will help us entering the Lycanoos' hideout." Sophie explained. "He has also confirmed that Yamchu-kun, Tenshinhan-kun and Elfman-san are really there. But he couldn't tell us about their current status."

"You have to precede very carefully." the director advised them. "I'm afraid that there's a someone acting in the background and orchestrating the recent incidents with the Lycanoos. You have to avoid any unnecessary fights."

"Understood!" Sophie confirmed and ended the conversation. She then turned to her teammates. "You heard the director. Are you prepared for our next move?"

"I'm ready but Jean's is pretty injured." Cathy remarked. "I wonder if we can go on like this."

"She's right." Jean agreed. "But as long as we avoid fighting…" A sudden signal was cutting him off. "What's that noise?" he wondered.

"I prepared several orbs checking the area in order to warn us about someone approaching." she then connected with her Vision Agents. "T-they are coming…" she revealed shocked. "It looks like the whole tribe is heading towards our direction. And they are about to arrive here soon!"

The news caught Cathy and Jean off guard. For moment there was just silence.

"B-but we aren't prepared for a situation like this." Cathy was about to panic. "What should we do?!"

"I don't know what's going on, but there's still a chance that you can avoid the confrontation." Toma replied. "There's a secret path that is only known to me and Yamchu." he explained. "I will stay here and buy you some time."

"That's too dangerous." Sophie objected.

"Greyfur-dono might not know about your intrusion yet. There must be another reason for the whole clan moving out." the Lycanoo argued.

"And it's more suspicious if the guard has left the position." Jean added.

Sophie and Cathy finally agreed and the team left for the Lycanoos' hideout using the secret path.

Toma sensed the Lycanoos getting closer and turned to their direction. 'Greyfur-dono is with them. I can smell it. He'll have to explain what has happened to Yamchu-kun!' he thought determined.

* * *

><p>notes: Originally the team of Natsu, Lisanna, Lucy, Nat and Happy were supposed to reappear in this chapter. Maybe in the next one.<p>

next chapter: Battle of the beasts


	34. Chapter 34: Battle of the beasts

note: The summary contains information that wasn't explicitly described in the text of the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>Summary: Yamchu, Elfman and Tenshinhan have been caught between the fronts. It turns out that Vegeta as well as King's adviser Greyfur are rivaling for the Lycanoos' throne.<em>

_A chain of events results in Vegeta defeating King and forcing Greyfur to acknowledge his new power._

_Meanwhile the scouting team of Sophie, Cathy and Jean investigates the whereabouts of their comrades. After being defeated and realizing that had been used all the time, the Lycanoo and Yamchu's old friend Toma agrees on helping them._

_-…-_

_Sophie: "T-they are coming […] It looks like the whole tribe is heading towards our direction."_

_-…-_

_Toma: "There's a secret path […] I will stay here and buy you some time."_

Chapter 34: Battle of the beasts

Sophie, Cathy and Jean were heading towards the Lycanoos' residence using the secret path.

"We might be lucky." Sophie stated. "If I'm right, there are almost no Lycanoos left guarding their hideout. It's a perfect chance to find Yamchu-kun and the others."

"I hope they are alright." Cathy added. "You think that the wolf guy can handle the situation?" she wondered referring to Toma.

"He should be able to talk to his fellows." Sophie replied. "Or what do you think, Jean?" For a while she didn't receive any response. Sophie and Cathy turned around discovering that Jean couldn't keep up with them. His injuries from the battle against the Lycanoo were slowing him down.

"I guess, you two need to go on without me." Jean decided. "I'm just slowing you down."

"Is that really ok?" Cathy wondered. "There might still be enemies around in the area."

"It can't be helped …" Sophie agreed on Jean's suggestion. "We need to find Yamchu-kun and his comrades as soon as possible. We meet here again in one hour. If we don't return until then, you need to contact director Makarov and report him the situation." she gave him the communication lacrima. "Afterwards you return to Liliana."

"Use this one to hide your scent." Cathy handed a Daphne blossom to her comrade.

"Good luck!" Jean looked after his teammates leaving for the hideout without him.

-…-

At the same time Toma was awaiting the arrival of the Lycanoo clan. Amongst them was Greyfur whom he would have to question about the current status of his friend Yamchu. Sensing their smell, he realized that the group wasn't directly heading towards his direction. 'I knew it!' he thought to himself. 'They didn't notice the intruders yet. They have a different destination.' he concluded and decided to confront them.

-…-

The whole tribe had been leaving the hideout. They were passing through the forest fast by jumping from tree to tree.

Greyfur was finally following Vegeta, who had successfully assumed the leadership of the Lycanoos. "My king, there are still three Lycanoos in the area guarding the paths." he mentioned to Vegeta. "We should pick them up."

"Leave them behind!" Vegeta ordered. "My benefactor has issued an ultimatum for my return and we are almost out of time. I didn't expect the trial to take so long. That's the reason why I didn't finish your _guests_ personally." he explained referring to Yamchu, Elfman and Tenshinhan.

"I see …" Greyfur replied.

Just in that moment Toma appeared right in front of them. He caused the whole group stopping abruptly. "Greyfur-dono! What are you and the prince doing here?!" he questioned.

"Huh, one of the guarding wolves?" Vegeta assumed. "He is using the other pendant, which you retained when capturing me." he mentioned to Greyfur.

"Please go ahead with the clan. I'll take care of him and follow you then." Greyfur suggested.

Vegeta agreed and went on with his followers.

"What is the meaning of this?" Toma wanted to know. "Why are you leaving the residence and what has happened to Yamchu and the King?"

"The times have changed." Greyfur replied. "Vegeta has defeated King and is the new head of the Lycanoos. Originally I was supposed to become king again. Yamchu-kun should have served me as a distraction but in the end he and his friends ruined my plan."

"So it's true and you were just using me to lure Yamchu into the trap." Toma realized.

"We still have a chance. Together and with the magic of the pendants we should be able to defeat Vegeta." the old man proposed. "Vegeta is about to lead the tribe into an uncertain future. We have to protect our kind."

"I won't trust your lies again." Toma neglected. "I see now, that you were deceiving me all the time. I'll find my own way to save the Lycanoos but first I have to look after my true friend." he said referring to Yamchu.

"I'm sorry but I can't let you go like that." Greyfur retransformed only his right arm into the wolf form. He used the unusually long claw of the fore finger and aimed for Toma's neck. Toma could barely avoid the attack and lost the magic stone, which was taken by his opponent.

Without it, Toma couldn't control his transformation anymore and returned to being a large wolf without a human reason. His attention turned towards Greyfur. His growling became louder and more menacing, demonstrating his aggressiveness towards his former master.

"Do you think you can fight against me like that?" Greyfur released a malevolent aura. Toma could sense the danger coming from the old man. Followings his instincts the wolf decided to retreat and escaped through the woods.

"I'm fine with that." Greyfur commented watching Toma running away. "In this state you won't be able to get in my way again. I already have, what I need." he looked at the pendant in his right hand and then followed the path Vegeta and the clan had used.

-…-

[Several moments earlier at the Arena]

Yamchu and Tenshinhan were lying on the ground being completely exhausted from their battles. King, who had apparently been killed by Vegeta's attack, was lying in another corner. Elfman had been beaten by the wolf-turned Greyfur but had been able to escape from his opponent after the latter had transformed into a man again.

Being short on time, Vegeta had decided for the tribe to leave immediately. For the moment it looked like he was going to let them live. But shortly before they went off, he threw a magic orb in the arena. "Come forth, Minotaur!" he summoned a beast with the body of a huge, muscular man and the head of a bison. His feet were hooves. "Minotaur is a servant of my new partner. I don't want you to get bored." he remarked sarcastically and left.

Looking around Elfman realized that he was the last one being able to stand and decided to face the new opponent alone.

"That's your chance, Elf-kun." Yamchu mentioned from behind. "You can use the opportunity to get away from here."

"A man would never leave his comrades behind." Elfman replied determined. "As long as I can still fight, it doesn't matter how dire the situation is."

"But you're injured too." Yamchu argued. But his words didn't change Elfman's decision.

Minotaur was about to attack, lowering the head. He charged at Elfman with full speed attempting to ram his opponent.

"Bear Arm!" Elfman transformed his right arm and blocked the strike with his right shoulder. The impact was partly absorbed by the Bear Arm's fur. Elfman was still pushed back but could finally stop the monster. He then transformed his left arm as well and grabbed the Minotaur in a headlock in order to prevent him from further attacks. The tactic seemed to work out but after a moment Elfman realized something was piercing his body. "Guuuggh! W-what's t-that?" the pain finally caused him to release the grip.

Minotaur had grown a pair of horns at both sides of his head. By forcefully freeing from the headlock he slashed across Elfman's body.

"Horns?" Yamchu wondered since they hadn't been visible before. "Maybe that's part of the monster's magic." To their surprise the horns grew even longer.

Minotaur started another attack. Elfman tried to stop it by grabbing the horns with his hands. 'Damn! How am I supposed to defeat him now?' Elfman thought wondering. 'I don't have enough magic left to use a full-body takeover.'

"Can't you take over his power and use it against him?" Yamchu proposed. "He's a beast after all."

"It wouldn't work. I'm already at my limit in the number of beast souls, I can control." Elfman explained.

-…-

Unknowing the dire situation his comrades were in, Jean was resting from his injuries. He hoped that at least Sophie and Cathy would it make there in time. 'It looks like the Lycanoos were moving in the direction of Liliana.' he thought analyzing. 'All I can do now is informing the authorities there.' using the communication lacrima he contacted his and Sophie's father Francois Bouvier, the commander of the Magic Council's Rune Knights division at Liliana.

"Jean!" his father responded. "I didn't expect you to call me. Sophie told me about your mission. How is it working?"

"Apparently the whole Lycanoo tribe has left their hideout. If I'm right, they are moving towards Liliana." Jean described the situation.

"I see." Francois replied being aware of the seriousness of the situation. "I can't imagine that they are going to attack the town but I will form a task force in order to arrest them." He paused a moment in order to change the topic: "There's another matter I need to talk to you. It's about Lis…" The conversation was disrupted abruptly by a wild Lycanoo breaking through the trees. Being caught off guard, Jean dropped the crystal orb, which broke in the process.

"W-what is a Lycanoo doing here?" Jean wondered frightened.

The wolf was no other than Toma. After losing control over his transformation and thus losing his mind, he had been rushing through the forest aimlessly and stumbled over Jean in the end. In his confusion Toma attacked the stranger without any reason.

Unable to avoid the attack, Jean got grabbed at the throat and was pushed down on the ground. 'Urrggh! I can't even fight back.' he thought panicking while grabbing at the wolf's arms. 'It's going to strangle me… I need to …' Concentrating his last magic he focused the Heat Attribute on his hands.

The fur prevented Toma's arms from being burned.

'It doesn't … work …' Jean realized almost losing the consciousness. 'I need … stronger Heat!' he remembered his and Lisanna's fight against the Fire God Slayer. His hands started to glow darker and finally turned almost black.

The heat was finally strong enough to burn the Lycanoo's wrists forcing him to let go of Jean. In pain Toma left the place.

'It went away. Damn … I'm passing … out …' Jean lost his consciousness.

-…-

At the same time, Sophie and Cathy were on their way to the Lycanoos' residence. The secret path was actually leading them to the Arena.

"What is this place?" Cathy wondered. "It doesn't look like the Lycanoos' hideout."

"You're right." Sophie agreed analyzing the area with her Vision Agents floating through the air. "But we are lucky. Yamchu-kun and the others are really here."

Sophie and Cathy went over to the edge of the crater and looked down. "I can see them now." Cathy stated. "But ... everyone is lying on the ground motionlessly. Do you think that we are too late?!" she worried.

"We need to get down there in order to find out." Sophie replied in a serious tone.

"Ok." Cathy agreed. "Golden Chain!" She created two chains made of blossoms of the Laburnum tree, which allowed them to descend down into the arena.

Sophie went over to Elfman and Yamchu in order to check their status. "Thank goodness! They are just unconscious." she said over Cathy.

"Same here." Cathy replied after checking Tenshinhan. "But everyone is pretty injured. I wonder what happened."

"Can you do something about their wounds?" Sophie wanted to know.

"I brought some salve of marigold with me. But it won't be enough for them to recover." Cathy stated. "We need to bring them to a hospital."

"Ugh!" Yamchu was the first regaining his consciousness.

"Yamchu-kun!" Sophie greeted her comrade.

"Sophie-chan! Cathy-chan! What are you doing here?" Yamchu wondered.

"Somebody asked us to find you." Sophie answered referring to the request of Lupina, Yamchu's mother. "Fortunately we met a friend of yours, who led us here."

"A friend?" Yamchu pondered. "Do you mean Toma?" he wanted to know and received a nod of Sophie as answer. "He betrayed us and lured us into the trap." he cursed.

"It wasn't his fault. He was being used by his master, Greyfur, all the time." Sophie revealed.

Meanwhile Cathy was treating Elfman's injuries. "What are these strange wounds?" she wondered referring to several severe scratches and stab wounds.

"He fought against a monster called Minotaur. He had a human body but the head of a bison and he could grow his horns." Yamchu told them the fight between Elfman and the Minotaur:

[Elfman vs. Minotaur]

Elfman was still holding the Minotaur's horns, trying hard to stop it. With his current magic level he was already at the limit of the number of souls, he could control. So taking over the Minotaur's power wasn't an option.

But just in the moment he remembered a situation that took place before the academies of Fairy Tail and Fallen Phoenix had been united. Back then Lisanna had been invited by her siblings two weeks before the event.

_FLASHBACK: ONE WEEK AGO_

"_Wow you've become way better, Lisanna." Elfman complimented her after a training battle was over. "During the last days you were able to use more than ten different transformations."_

"_Well, I don't think that I've improved that much." Lisanna replied. "At Fallen Phoenix the students have either a high magic level or use a rare and special magic. Others have special skills, e.g. high intelligence, which they can use in combination with their spells. I couldn't keep up with my Take Over Animal Soul and my average abilities and decided to get stronger. I trained my magic level in order to increase the number of controlled souls but it was harder as expected. From a friend using a similar kind of magic I learned a special technique: With my given level I can control more souls but in return I can't use all transformations every day anymore."_

"_I see. That's why you used different spells from day to day." Elfman concluded. "I've never heard of this technique and I'm sure Mira-nee hasn't either. Well concerning her level she shouldn't have any problems in taking over new souls."_

"_My friend had been studying Re-quip 'The Knight' in order to learn that technique. It has a similar limitation in the number of armors that can be stored in the pocket dimension." Lisanna tried to explain. "Well, I somehow understood the concept but not the details."  
><em>

PRESENT

'I should be able to use that technique as well.' Elfman thought during the fight. 'If I temporarily refrain from controlling a transformation that I haven't used yet, I might be able to take over the Minotaur's power instead. I have to try it!' A magic flow was connecting Elfman and his opponent.

"What are doing?" Yamchu was confused. "Didn't you tell me that your Take Over Magic has already reached its current limit?"

"I suddenly came up with another idea." Elfman replied. "It's my last chance to defeat this monster. Come on!" after a moment his head transformed into that of a bison with horns as well. "Your power belongs to me now!" while upholding the Minotaur's horns, Elfman lowered his head and gored the opponent inflicting a fatal wound.

"It worked!" Yamchu commented the scene.

Focusing his last strength, Elfman raised his head quickly throwing the Minotaur high in the air. "It's over." he stated retransforming and lost his consciousness.

-…-

"That's what I witnessed." Yamchu finished the story. "Shortly afterwards I passed out as well."

"But where's that monster now?" Sophie wondered unable to see it anywhere.

"You're right. It's gone …" Yamchu realized.

"Let's save the issue for later." Cathy remarked. "I could need some help with the treatments."

At that time the group didn't notice that they were being watched by a certain Lycanoo.

-…-

At the same time, at an unknown location

A woman, wearing a long blue robe and a cape of white feathers over her shoulders, was waiting while standing next to a big airship. It was Sylvia, a member of the Roots of Order. Suddenly a bird carrying an orb was flying to her. "So the Minotaur has failed …" she concluded. "Thank you for bringing Albireo-sama's treasure back." she talked to the bird. "What about Vegeta-kun?" she paused listening to the tweeting. "I see. So they should arrive here soon. The master will be pleased to hear the good news.

* * *

><p>notes:<p>

next chapter: Meeting at Liliana


	35. Chapter 35: Meeting in Liliana

note: The final chapter of the Lycanoo arc. I'm looking forward to what's going to happen afterwards ...

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>Vegeta: "My benefactor has issued an ultimatum for my return and we are almost out of time.<em>

_-…-_

_Jean contacted his and Sophie's father Francois Bouvier, the commander of the Magic Council's Rune Knights division at Liliana. […] "Apparently the whole Lycanoo tribe has left their hideout. If I'm right, they are moving towards Liliana."_

_-…-_

_"But where's that monster now?" Sophie wondered unable to see it anywhere._

_"You're right. It's gone …" Yamchu realized._

_"Let's save the issue for later." Cathy remarked. "I could need some help with the treatments."_

_At that time the group didn't notice that they were being watched by a certain Lycanoo._

_-…-_

_A woman […] was waiting while standing next to a big airship. It was Sylvia, a member of the Roots of Order. Suddenly a bird carrying an orb was flying to her. "So the Minotaur has failed…" […] she talked to the bird. "What about Vegeta-kun? […] I see. So they should arrive here soon. […]"_

Chapter 35: Meeting in Liliana

Originally the team of Lisanna, Natsu, Lucy, Nat and Happy had been on their way back to Fairy Tail after meeting with Macao. But a sudden request from Liliana caused them to spontaneously change their route.

After his magic had restored, Nat could use the airship to transport them again. "Do you have any idea why Bouvier-san wants to meet you?" he asked Lisanna referring to Francois Bouvier.

Shaking her head, the white-haired girl signalized that she didn't. "He just told me that it's an urgent matter." she replied. "That suits me well, because I want to ask him about the masked guy, we met on the island." she stated referring to Janus. "Anyway, thank you for helping me."

"I would never refuse a request from you." after realizing what he had just said, Nat started to blush. His comment made Lisanna's face turn red as well. "Well … what's bothering me is …" he looked behind seeing Natsu being passed out by nausea, Happy sleeping and Lucy reading a book. "How has everyone ended up accompanying us?"

"Lucy-chan told me that her family is living in Liliana as well. I think she wants to say hello." Lisanna explained. "Natsu and Happy probably didn't want to go back to Fairy Tail alone, but I'm not sure."

"Hm." Nat then concentrated on piloting the ship again. "We will arrive there late at night. It will be difficult to find an accommodation for everyone …"

At that time they had no idea of the adventure their friends were experiencing.

-…-

At the same time the scouting team had still to take care of the chaos left by the recent incident surrounding the Lycanoo tribe. While Cathy was still treating Elfman's wounds, Sophie was helping Yamchu to get up. "Can you stand alone? I should look after Tenshinhan-kun as well."

"I'm fine." Yamchu replied but still had problems and had to sit down.

"Don't move too much!" Cathy advised him. "It looks like you've lost quite an amount of blood. Unluckily I'm already short of salve after using it for Elfman-san's wounds."

"He's pretty injured all over the body." Sophie stated after checking Tenshinhan's condition. "But it looks like his wounds aren't as deep."

"Please take care of him at first." Yamchu requested. "With my Lycanoo blood I should be able to regenerate more quickly than the others."

At the same time Sophie's remaining Vision Agents were floating in the air observing the area. Suddenly a new guest arrived. "There's somebody here!" she warned her comrades.

Looking up the cliff, Cathy and Yamchu detected a Lycanoo standing there. "It's Toma!" Yamchu immediately recognized his old friend, who had instinctively come to the arena after retreating from the battle with Jean.

Watching what was going on down there, the Lycanoo mistook the situation and deemed the girls being responsible for the attack on Yamchu. Enraged he jumped down in order to engage them in a battle.

'Shit! He's going to attack!' Yamchu realized the wolf's intention. He tried to get up in order to stop Toma but in pain he went down on his knees again. "D-don't …!" his words couldn't reach the aggressive and confused Lycanoo.

"I'll take care of him!" Cathy prepared for a fight.

"STOP!" a loud male voice caused everyone to halt their movements instantly. Even the wild wolf stopped his attack. Looking around to one edge of the arena they realized that King was getting up after having regained his consciousness.

"So he wasn't dead, after all." Yamchu stated. At the same time he worried about King's next actions.

"You are Toma-kun, aren't you?" King addressed the wolf. "I'm not the leader of the Lycanoos anymore so I can't order you … but I would like you to listen to me." he then turned to Yamchu, Sophie and Cathy. "I'm sorry for the trouble, I caused y…"

"Bastard!" Yamchu's comment cut the sentence off. "Do you really think a simple apology would be enough?" he shouted angered. "It has always been this way! Wasn't it enough to ban me from the tribe?"

Sophie remembered stories about her comrade's past. Yamchu's mother Lupina had been King's wife. Yamchu, her second son, had been born from a human. Since he was half-human, he had been banned from the tribe at the age of eight years, while his mother had to stay with the Lycanoos. But secretly she had always been watching over her son and so she had followed him to the forest close to Fairy Tail and eventually had become the leader of the Lycanoos living there. Sophie assumed that Lupina's unforeseen presence was the reason why the Lycanoo Garm had been ordered to kill her.

Cathy carefully approached Sophie. 'Do you think, we should tell him about the death of Lupina-sama?' she whispered wondering.

'I don't know … let's wait for the right moment.' Sophie responded.

"Yamchu …" King wasn't sure how to answer. "I can't do anything about the past. And I don't have much time left …" he revealed a lethal injury. "All I can do is this." he concentrated his last magic and was surrounded by a light aura. The light then engulfed Toma.

"What are you doing?" Yamchu was confused.

The wolf Toma was transformed into a human again. At the same time King fell to the ground.

"My King!" Toma immediately went over to his former leader.

"Yamchu, Toma …" King spoke with a weakened voice. "You are the last hope for the Lycanoo race. Go and find Lupina …" having uttered these last words, he died.

"But … but it's already too late!" Toma resigned with tears.

"What do you mean?" Yamchu wanted to know.

"Haven't you told him yet?" Toma wondered addressing Sophie and Cathy. Yamchu then turned around to them wanting to know, what they were talking about.

"He's right …" Sophie finally replied depressed turning her head away. "Lupina-sama – your mother … she's dead."

-…-

[Sometime earlier]

Jean, who had previously been attacked by the wolf Toma, was awakening in a vast place filled of darkness. Looking around, he couldn't see anything. "W-what is this place? It's dark … and cold." he talked to himself shivering. "Am I going to die?"

"Don't worry!" a young, female voice came from a suddenly appearing sphere of light. "I won't let you die yet!"

"I know this voice … but … you aren't her!" Jean stated. "I can vaguely remember again. You saved us from the explosion." he was referring to the fight between Garuda and Zancrow.

"Don't get me wrong … it's just that I need you to be alive a bit longer." the female voice replied. "As long as the seal is still active, I will soon be able to take over her body. And now it's time for you to go …" after the sentence was finished, the light started to spread until it engulfed the whole area.

-…-

In the same moment Jean woke up in the forest. 'What happened?' he thought wondering. 'I remember … the Lycanoo!' he looked around quickly but couldn't see his opponent anywhere. 'Is it gone?' After calming down again Jean realized that most of his injuries from the previous battles had healed partly. But there were still painful burns on his hand palms. 'Just how long was I asleep? It looks like Sophie and the others haven't returned yet. But on the other hand I don't know how much time has already passed …'

For a moment he considered what to do next and finally stood up. 'I can't call for reinforcement anymore.' he realized referring to the broken communication lacrima. 'Since I'm feeling better, I should go and find Sophie the others.' he decided and went off.

-…-

Meanwhile Vegeta and the Lycanoos had finally arrived at the location where the airship was standing. It was a hidden field close to the town Liliana. Sylvia and her assistants were already waiting for them.

"What a unworthy way to welcome the new leader of the Lycanoos." Vegeta stated mockingly.

"I'm sorry but Albireo-sama is on an important mission right now." Sylvia replied.

"Well, the ship is really amazing." Vegeta stated referring its size.

"Indeed. We have a secret sponsor in Liliana." Sylvia explained. "Are we complete now? It's time to set off."

"Not yet. One man is still missing." Vegeta was referring to Greyfur, who had previously been stalled by Toma for a while.

A bird was flying to Sylvia, landing on her left shoulder. "Hm … I see." Sylvia stated after listening to the bird's tweeting. "It looks like the man, you have spoken of, is trapped. Some members of the Rune Knights have appeared."

"Ha! Greyfur won't be defeated by some puny humans." Vegeta laughed it off.

"Apparently they can use barrier magic. If that's the case, strength doesn't matter." Sylvia opposed. "You go aboard – the ship is taking off now. I'll make sure that your companion follows you."

-…-

Close to the same area, the old man Greyfur was sitting inside a barrier of glyphs. Around the place several members of the Rune Knights were lying injured on the ground. Ten members were standing in a circle around the Lycanoo keeping up the barrier with their magic staffs. The remaining ones, who were able to stand, carried their wounded comrades away from the battle scene.

"To think that this old geezer could transform into a monster …" one soldier talked to another one standing next to him.

"Don't let your guard down!" the commander ordered his men. "We already sustained many casualties in order to capture this one guy. We can't afford to let the barrier break!" he looked carefully around observing the area, in the hope that there wasn't any other Lycanoo around. 'I hope the other squads are careful when confronting them.' he thought worrying.

"Your efforts are futile." Greyfur stated mockingly. "I will be rescued by my people in no time."

"Ha! Do you think, we are the only squad that is patrolling in the area?" the commander replied. "However, keep an eye on the surroundings as well!" he ordered his men.

One of the knights protecting the barrier noticed that a small bird was landing on his right shoulder. Then another one sat on the left one. He looked around noticing that his comrades were being surrounded by birds as well. "What the hell …?!" in that moment the animals started to whirr around the faces of the soldiers. "Uaaahhh! What's going on here?!"

"That's enough my friends." a female voice stated calmly. At her demand the birds stopped the attack and flew off. It was Sylvia who had just arrived at the location.

"An intruder! You are allied with the Lycanoo?!" the commander concluded. He was about to order his men to capture the woman as well.

Like wings Sylvia spread the feather cape on her shoulders to the side. "Feathers Rain!" she released many feathers and shot them like projectiles against her opponents. Several of the Rune Knights were hit and even injured. The guards of the barrier were attacked as well and couldn't keep it up anymore.

"Very well, time to pay you back!" Greyfur remarked confidently while standing up. He transformed his hands into large claws.

"Now isn't the time to play around!" Sylvia stopped him. "The others have already taken off. We need to go after them as soon as possible." she noticed most of the soldiers recovered from her attack. "Let me take care of them. You better take cover." she advised the wolf. She then swung her cape around releasing the remaining feathers: "Feathers Gale!" and used them as projectiles whirling them around like a hurricane.

After the attack was over the commander of the Rune Knights slowly got up again. He looked around seeing his men being harmed but not seriously injured. "They have gone away." he realized that their opponents had used the distraction to escape.

-…-

[At the arena]

With some problems transporting the injured Elfman and Tenshinhan, who were still unconscious, the team had managed to get out of the crater. Luckily they were supported by Toma.

Sophie was worried about Yamchu, who hadn't said any word since learning about the death of his mother. "At first we should get back to where Jean is waiting." Sophie suggested leading the way.

"Do you hear that?" Toma wanted to know noticing noises of several footsteps getting closer.

"Are there still enemies around?!" Cathy worried taking a defensive stance.

Since Sophie had already overused her magic, she couldn't confirm the situation with her orbs in the moment.

"They don't sound like Lycanoos." Toma recognized. "They are probably humans …"

Jean appeared in front of them, being accompanied by another squad of Rune Knights. "Everyone is here." he noted relieved seeing that his friends were alright – more or less.

"Where do you come from?" Sophie wanted to know taken by surprise.

"I contacted oyaji-san informing him about the movements of the Lycanoos. Later I ran into this squad by chance." Jean explained.

'It's strange … wasn't he pretty much injured before we departed?' Sophie thought wondering but kept quiet for the moment. "We should head back fast. It's getting dark soon."

Supported by the knights, the team prepared for returning to Liliana. Toma bid farewell to his new friends. His new task would be to find and gather the Lycanoos left in the forest and to find a new home. Knowing that their paths would cross again someday, Sophie gave him a black crystal stating that they would be linked now.

-…-

[Late at night]

The airship with Lisanna, Natsu, Lucy, Nat and Happy was arriving in Liliana. Originally they intended to stop at the Heartfilia's estate outside the town. Musca the fly, a celestial spirit they had met on the island, appeared and informed them that Layla Heartfilia, Lucy's mother, wasn't at home but taking care of the chaos in spirit's world, which had been caused by the recent incident. Hearing the news, Lucy decided not visit her home yet.

"But where should I stay overnight then?" Lucy wondered talking to herself.

"That's no problem." Lisanna butted in. "I still have the key to an apartment in the town. There's enough place for us to stay there together." she proposed.

"Aren't you going spend the night with us?" Happy wondered.

Lisanna and Lucy mustered the guys being suspicious about the trouble they could create at night. "I've already told you – the three of you are staying at the home of my friends Jean and Sophie." Lisanna told them.

While entering the town, Lucy noticed a huge mansion on a hill. With the lights shining through the darkness the estate was very outstanding. "Who is living there?" she wanted to know. "I can't remember this building standing there, when I was here the last time."

"The whole areal belongs to a noblewoman, who moved to Liliana one or two months ago." Nat explained. "If I remember correctly, her name is Lady Sasturs. But I don't know any more details."

* * *

><p>next chapter: One night in Liliana<p>

notes:

Do you still remember Sylvia appearing in chapter 18 for the first time? I invented her in order to support my evil organization with female characters. Background: She had personal reasons for joining and she can talk to birds. All in all I guess she isn't such a bad person.

I hope you don't mind that Layla is alive in the story.

-...-

If you are confused with the chronology of chapters, I have summarized them in a timetable starting with chapter 8:

Day 1: Chapters 8 – 11: Students of Fallen Phoenix join Fairy Tail and Jean challenges Natsu.

Night 1: Chapters 12 – 18: Dating competition and Lycanoo invasion.

Day 2: Chapters 19 – 20: Announcement of the competition.

Day 3: Chapters 21 – 26: The events surrounding the Star Dragon Spirit.

Day 4: Chapters 27 – 29: Higher and Lycanoo conspiracy.

Day 5: Chapters 29 – 31: Lycanoo conspiracy. Lycanoo Queen is killed.

Day 6: Chapters 31 – 35: The trial. Vegeta defeats Lycanoo King.


	36. Chapter 36: One night in Liliana

note: I was listening to the song 'One night in Bangkok' from the musical 'Chess' recently. So I decided to name the chapter in a similar way.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any character I borrowed from Dragon Ball, Negima, The World God only knows, Yugioh!, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Soul Eater.

* * *

><p><em>Summary:<em>

_The scouting team was able to save Yamchu, Elfman and Tenshinhan. With the help of Francois Bouvier – father of Sophie and Jean and commander of a Rune Knights division – they were able to return to the town Liliana. _

_Late at night Lisanna, Natsu, Lucy, Nat and Happy arrived there as well. While Natsu, Nat and Happy were supposed to stay at the Bouviers' estate, Lisanna decided to spend the night at another apartment together with Lucy.  
><em>

_-…-_

_While entering the town, Lucy noticed a huge mansion on a hill. […] "Who is living there?" she wanted to know. "I can't remember this building standing there, when I was here the last time."_

_"The whole areal belongs to a noblewoman, who moved to Liliana one or two months ago." Nat explained. "If I remember correctly, her name is Lady Sasturs […]"_

Chapter 36: One night in Liliana

After landing on the market place in the town, Lisanna, Natsu, Lucy, Nat and Happy had come off the ship. Natsu, followed by Happy, was running around enjoying not be on a moving vehicle anymore.

"Well, we should hurry and go to the Bouvier's mansion." Nat stated using his de-quipping-magic to make the airship disappear. "It's already pretty late." Everyone agreed on the comment.

Before going off, Lisanna went over to Lucy. "Lucy-chan, could you please do me a big favor?" she asked clasping the blond girl's hands.

"Eh…?" Lucy was overtaken by the sudden action. "Well … sure …"

Lisanna carefully looked around making sure that nobody else was listening. "After all the travelling I'm in the need of taking a bath." the white-haired girl revealed. "Introducing the guys to Francois-sama will certainly take some time. Would you be so nice to go to the apartment ahead and prepare everything?"

Lucy hesitated for a moment. "That's no problem." she agreed to the request. "I guess I could need a bath as well."

"I've written the address on this piece of paper and here's the key." Lisanna handed the objects to Lucy. "Thank you very much. I owe you one!" she waved her hand while returning to the others.

"What is Lucy doing?" Natsu wondered about her staying back.

"I asked her to do me a favor." Lisanna replied without getting into details. "Tomorrow you can see her again. Now, let's hurry."

So, without Lucy, the team went to the home of Sophie's and Jean's family.

-…-

[The Bouviers' estate]

The other group had already arrived at the mansion a few hours ago. In a spare bedroom Sophie and Cathy were treating the injured Elfman and Tenshinhan.

"I hope you have everything, you need." a glasses-wearing, tall, middle-aged man with short, dark-brown hair was entering the room. He was wearing long, black trousers and a black jacket over a white shirt.

"Too-san …" Sophie identified the visitor as her father Francois Bouvier. 'Dressed in a suit … he is trying to look good as always.' she thought.

"How about you two take a rest?" he suggested. "My assistants can look after the patients for some time." he introduced a young man and a young woman entering the room.

"To be true, I'm pretty much tired." Cathy agreed to the idea. "By the way, where's Yamchu-kun?" she wondered since their companion hadn't been there for a while.

"He's taking a bath right now. I've prepared it with special curing herbs for his injuries to heal faster." Francois explained.

At that moment a maid entered as well. "Sir, the other guests have arrived." she informed him.

"Other guests?" Sophie wondered.

"Oh, you don't know yet?" her father was surprised. "Well, you'll meet them soon anyway." the three went towards the entrance hall. Down there, Sophie and Cathy were astounded to see the arrival of Lisanna, Natsu, Nat and Happy.

-…-

At the same time Lucy arrived at the house, where Lisanna's apartment was located. But something else was in her mind. 'Lisanna … did she want me to stay away?' she worried depressed. 'What am I thinking? Lisanna isn't that kind of a person.'

Without realizing it, she had already arrived at the apartment door. 'That's the number Lisanna noted on the paper.' Lucy opened the door with the key. Inside she noticed that the lights had already been turned on. 'Did she forget to switch them off?' Lucy wondered exploring the rooms one by one.

-…-

[The Bouviers' estate]

Sophie and Cathy had meanwhile welcomed their friends and had told them about their recent encounters with the Lycanoos.

"What? Elf-niichan is here as well?" Lisanna was worried after hearing that her brother had been severely injured. "I need to see him!"

One of the assistants came down from the room, where Elfman and Tenshinhan were resting. "The white-haired has just regained his consciousness." So Francois offered Lisanna to have a short visit. "Why don't the rest of you go to the kitchen." he suggested to the others. "You must be hungry. My assistants have already prepared something to eat."

Hearing these words, Nat's, Natsu's and Happy's stomachs were growling synchronously.

"This kind of answer doesn't leave anything open." Sophie commented smiling. "We should go with them." she stated to Cathy. "We'll see you later, Lisanna."

-…-

[The apartment]

Lucy was approaching the last door. 'This has to be the bath. There is steam coming … Wait! Steam?!' she carefully got closer to the door. "Hello? Is there anybody?" she asked listening for a response from inside. "Hello?" she asked again after a while but there wasn't any reply.

-…-

[The Bouviers' estate]

Lisanna followed Francois upstairs to the bedroom. Seeing her injured brother, she immediately went over to his bed. "Elf-niichan!" she broke out in tears. "How could that happen? You need to watch your health more. What should Mira-nee and I do without you?"

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Lisanna." Elfman apologized with a low voice. "It'll take some time but I'll be back up soon." he promised. "By the way, I have to thank you."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Lisanna was confused.

"Our training one week ago … it really saved our asses during the fight." Elfman told his sister. "Ugh!" He gave a little wince of pain.

"You shouldn't overdo it, Elfman-kun. You have to sleep in order to recover properly." Francois advised him. "We should leave them alone for now." he told Lisanna, who agreed nodding.

-…-

[The apartment]

After having waited for quite a while without receiving any answer, Lucy finally decided to enter the bathroom in order to find out if everything was alright. She carefully opened the door and watched inside. 'There's nobody here?!' she thought wondering. 'It's so hot and humid'.

At the end of the room there was a tub. The steam around it was so thick, that it was hardly recognizable. After hesitating, Lucy decided to get closer. The tub was filled with foam. 'There's really nobody here …' Lucy realized.

Suddenly she noticed something moving under the foam. Then a face appeared on the surface of the water. "U-u-u" Lucy was about to freak out with her face turning pale as a sheet. Then the eyes of the person opened instantly.

"KYYAAAAAAHHHHHH!" her scream could be heard miles away.

"UAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" it was soon followed by another scream that was just as loud.

-…-

[The Bouviers' estate]

Everyone was busy having meal in the kitchen. Especially Natsu and Nat were especially noisy while doing so. "What's wrong, Natsu?" Happy wanted know after noticing that the pink-haired boy had stopped eating abruptly.

"Eh … nothing." Natsu replied. "I thought I had just heard someone screaming but it must have been my imagination."

"Screaming? Well, I didn't hear anything." Happy added. So Natsu shrugged it off and continued eating.

Meanwhile Cathy was chatting with Sophie. "To think that they are really twin-brothers …" Cathy mentioned referring to Natsu and Nat. "They are usually behaving so differently … but basically their personalities seem to be pretty similar."

"I had no idea myself." Sophie replied. "There's no doubt that Katsu Dragion was Nat's biological father. Unfortunately he had never told anything about a second son before his death."

"I've heard that Natsu-san had been raised by a real dragon who taught him the magic as well." Cathy remarked. "Until now I've only heard rumors about the Dragon Slayer Magic." she noted. "I'm curious to see it during the competition."

"You wanna fight against me?" Natsu replied being incited by overhearing parts of the conversation.

"No, thanks …" Cathy responded refusing. "I doubt that I'm a match against you. But I know some people who might be able to rival with you …"

In that moment Lisanna entered the kitchen.

"Lisanna, come in. There's still plenty to eat left." Sophie greeted her.

"Yeah, it's a feast!" Natsu commented. "It's really a pity that Lucy isn't here with us."

"Oh, Lucy!" Lisanna suddenly recollected taken aback. "I've totally forgotten the time … she's probably already waiting in the apartment. If I had known about the prepared meal …"

"Lucy is in the town as well?" Sophie asked remembering the blond girl she had met at Fairy Tail. The both of them had been able to make friends on the first day. "Why don't you invite her over?" Sophie suggested.

"You're right! I'll bring her along, it won't take long." Lisanna stated leaving the kitchen again.

"Lisanna, wait! I'll accompany you. I could need an after-dinner walk." Natsu immediately went after her.

"I'm going too." Happy left the room as well.

Only Nat, Sophie and Cathy were still sitting dumbfounded at the table. "Well, to be true, I didn't see that coming …" Nat commented.

"That doesn't matter." Cathy said enjoying the sudden silence. "Why don't you report us about your adventure?" she suggested.

-…-

[In another room]

Using a video lacrima, Francois was calling FT's director Makarov. "According to Jean's information I had sent out three squads. They were able to capture one Lycanoo but there was someone helping him to escape." he reported the current state of affairs. "At least we were able to discover that they used an airship owned by Lady Sasturs. I've already found out that it has been reported stolen."

"I see, that means my worries have come true." Makarov concluded. "There is really someone else behind the Lycanoos' incident. And the mage using _Control_ is probably one of them. Too bad, that we weren't able to gather more information …" he paused for a moment and then changed the topic. "By the way, how is everyone doing?"

"Yamchu-kun, Elfman-kun and Tenshinhan-kun are still recovering from their injuries." Francois explained. "In the case of Elfman-kun it might take some time longer. But you don't need to worry, Makarov-sama. I have qualified assistants caring for them."

"That's good to hear." the master was relieved. "I've heard that you had requested Lisanna to come to Liliana as well. Is there a specific reason?"

"Well, I have to check something …" Francois replied hesitatingly. "I'll report you as soon as I have confirmed my suspicion."

-…-

[Sasturs' mansion]

The Lady was standing at the window in one of the rooms of the upper floor. There was no light switched on and only the shadowy figure of the long haired woman could be assumed in the darkness. From there she watched the town below the hill.

"The seal is close. I can feel it!" she talked to herself. "Finally!"

-…-

At the same time Lisanna, Natsu and Happy were on their way to Lucy. "We are soon there." Lisanna told the others pointing to the front. "It's just a few blocks away." she then noticed Natsu being watching into different direction. "Hey, where are you looking? I told you it's this direction." Lisanna complained.

"Yeah, but I'm sure that I can smell Lucy's scent in the other direction." Natsu explained.

"Are you sure?" Happy wanted to know. "I can't imagine that she would walk around in the town alone."

"Happy is right." Lisanna added. "Let's go now."

After some time they finally stood in front of the door to the apartment. Trying to open the door Lisanna searched for the key. "Ah, right! I totally forgot that Lucy-chan has the key … we have to use the bell."

The three of them started to worry after having waited for two minutes. "Why isn't she answering?" Happy wondered.

"That's strange." Lisanna noted.

"Don't you have a second key?" Natsu wanted to know.

"No, the other one …" Lisanna was about to say but didn't finish the sentence.

-…-

The next moment Lisanna, Natsu and Happy were running for the place where Natsu had recognized Lucy's scent earlier. "Hey, Natsu! Wait for us!" Lisanna called after the dragon slayer unable to keep up the speed.

Natsu stopped in front of a house at the corner of the street. "It's here! I'm sure about this!" He could hear strange noises coming from the inside. Without hesitating he broke violently through the door. "Hey, Lucy! Are you alright?!"

* * *

><p>next chapter: Rick<p>

notes:


	37. Chapter 37: Stilbruch

notes:

Additionally to the main storyline I'll tell an extra-story in so-called mini-chapters. I split the chapters in a part A (main story) and a shorter part B focusing on the team Juvia, Gray and Lyon.

* * *

><p><em>At the end of the room there was a tub. […]. After hesitating, Lucy decided to get closer. The tub was filled with foam. 'There's really nobody here …' Lucy realized.<em>

_Suddenly she noticed something moving under the foam. Then a face appeared on the surface of the water. "U-u-u" Lucy was about to freak out with her face turning pale as a sheet. Then the eyes of the person opened instantly._

_"KYYAAAAAAHHHHHH!"_

_"UAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" _

_-…-_

_After some time Lisanna, Natsu and Happy finally stood in front of the door to the apartment. […] The three of them started to worry after having waited for two minutes. "Why isn't she answering?" Happy wondered._

_-…-_

_Natsu stopped in front of a house at the corner of the street. "It's here! I'm sure about this!" He could hear strange noises coming from the inside. Without hesitating he broke violently through the door. "Hey, Lucy! Are you alright?!"_

Chapter 37A: Stilbruch

The people inside the house stopped their actions abruptly and turned around, being shocked by the sudden disturbance.

"Natsu!" Lucy recognized the intruder as her friend. "What are you doing?" she shouted at him being angered and embarrassed at the same time.

"Good to see that you are ok." Natsu mentioned while looking around. "Where is he?" he wanted to know looking for someone.

"What are you even talking about?" Lucy didn't understand the dragon slayer's strange behavior.

"I mean the guy who …" Natsu was confused. "Haven't you been kidnapped?"

"Kidnapped?" Lucy was even more confused. "Just where did you get this idea from?"

"But I can smell him." Natsu insisted. "He has to be here somewhere!"

"Oh, it looks like we are too late." Lisanna and Happy arrived standing in the broken door. "Why are you here? We have been worried."

"Well, …" Lucy recollected the strange meeting in the apartment.

_FLASHBACK_

_"KYYAAAAAAHHHHHH!"_

_"UAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" _

_A moment later Lucy got to her senses again. 'What the hell was that?!' she thought horrified. 'I can only remember running away …' she then realized being in the living room. 'Crap! I went into the wrong direction … I need to get out of here!' Just in that moment, she heard someone coming out of the bathroom and approaching towards her place. "H-hello?" she heard a young man's voice asking. "Who is there?"_

_Preparing for who or whatever was entering the room, Lucy grabbed the keys on the right of her belt._

_The guy coming in was wearing a long, white bathrobe. _"_You?!" Lucy recognized him. "You are Jean Bouvier, aren't you?!"_

"_Oh, it's you … sorry, what was your name again?" Jean tried to remember the blond girl. "I'm sure, we've already met … right, you are Lucy Heartfilia, the Celestial Spirit Mage." He then felt a slightly hostile attitude and noticed that Lucy was about to use her keys. "What are trying to do? Your magic doesn't work at the moment."_

'_He's right …!' Lucy realized shocked remembering the information from the spirit Musca. Because of the chaos in the celestial dimension, most of the gates couldn't be opened at the moment. '… but why does he know about this?!'_

_A sudden rumbling noise coming from Jean's stomach interrupted the tense situation. "Well, let's save that issue for later." he suggested. "I'm going to go out having something to eat." Then he left the room._

_After a while Jean left the house alone. Outside he hesitated worrying about leaving the blond girl in the apartment. 'Hm, she had the key. So she has to be a friend of Lisanna.' he thought to himself. 'There shouldn't be anything to worry about.' He moved on and was about to turn around the corner.'_

"_Wait, please!" Lucy, who had left the house as well, was calling after him._

_Jean turned around being surprised. "Is anything wrong?"_

_Lucy was approaching him. "I wanted to prepare something to eat but discovered that there isn't anything."_

"_I know. That's the reason I'm going out for meal." Jean replied._

'_You could have told me sooner…' Lucy thought slightly frowning. "Well, I'm accompanying you then." she decided. 'I know I should wait for Lisanna to return but I'm too hungry.'_

"_Ok … I wanted to ask you earlier but assumed that you don't have any money with you." Jean told her._

"_Um …" Lucy's dumbfounded reaction was proof that Jean's comment hit the nail on the head._

"_I see … then you are my guest today." Jean suggested and proceeded to go on around the corner._

_Lucy was visibly surprised by the sudden invitation. 'What an unsteady person.' she thought but finally followed him._

_It was said corner, where Lisanna, Natsu and Happy arrived just a few moments later._

_-…-_

_The next moment Jean and Lucy arrived at the bar Kakadu. Inside it was dark and it was hard to recognize any of the other guests. At the other end there was a stage with three musicians performing their songs. There was a cellist and singer, a violinist and a drummer._

_Lucy and Jean were welcomed by the barkeeper. "It may not look like but we have some really tasty dishes here." he told the guests. "Additionally Stilbruch is playing today. They are preparing for the great event the day after tomorrow." he explained._

"_Great event?" Lucy wondered._

"_Oh, you don't know? Lady Sasturs is holding a Magic Auction in her mansion." the barkeeper went on. "It's the large estate on the hill outside the town."_

_Lucy remembered seeing the place while entering the town via airship._

_Jean pretended to listen as well but he wasn't really following the explanations. Since they had entered the bar, he was bothered by the feeling of being watched. After taking the order, the barkeeper left the table. _

_Just in that moment a tall man in a black suit approached them. "Excuse me, the master wishes to meet you." he addressed Jean. He handed over a black card._

"_My ticket …" Jean talked to himself. _

_[In the background the band was playing their song. "I am torn – like a ship on stormy waters."]_

"_It can't be helped." Jean turned to Lucy. "I have to leave now but I might be back soon. Lisanna should be able to figure out that you are here." The man in the black suit took out a grey card. Then they were teleported away._

_[Background: "I am torn – but nobody's helping me."]_

'_What is going on here?!' Lucy thought being left alone. Since she was still in possession of the key to the apartment, she could go back. Or should she wait there?_

-…-

"And soon afterwards, you broke in the door." Lucy finished the story.

"You said that he disappeared right in front of your eyes?" Happy couldn't believe the story.

[Background: After being shortly disturbed by Natsu's entrance the band had already continued their performance.]

In the meantime Lisanna was settling the problem of the broken door with the barkeeper while still listening to the conversation. "That's Francois-san's magic. He is able to teleport the carrier of such a card to his location." Lisanna explained taking out a white card. "I and Sophie-chan have one too." After having finished the sentence Lisanna noticed that Natsu wasn't listening anymore. Instead he seemed to be completely distracted by the music playing in the background.

"Hey, Natsu!" Happy tried to call his attention but didn't receive an answer.

"What happened to him?" Lucy was worried.

"I remember now – I have seen them before." Lisanna was referring to the trio. "The band Stilbruch can use Song Magic – it can have a wide variation of effects on the hearer. Jean is a great fan. Maybe that's the reason why he wanted to come here."

"But why does it work on Natsu?" Lucy wondered. "I mean the music was playing in the background the whole time."

"Usually it doesn't affect you as long you don't want to." the barkeeper explained.

"Maybe it's because Natsu's exceptionally good hearing." Happy supposed.

[Background: "I was drawing my attention to receive the highest mention. – And I set myself on fire. – I set myself on fire!"]

"All right! I'm all fired up!" Natsu suddenly burst out inflaming his fists.

"Natsu? What are you doing?!" Lucy was taken aback by the dragon slayer's sudden reaction.

"At this rate he will eventually do even more damage." Lisanna realized worried. "Happy, I need your help!"

"Aye!" the cat replied. Together they grabbed Natsu at the back of his scarf and dragged him outside the building.

Lucy followed them. "That was close." she was relieved realizing that the song's effect seemed to lessen outside. The next moment Natsu passed out. But his snore signalized that he was alright.

"Let's return to the apartment." Lisanna suggested. Lucy and Happy nodded in agreement.

-…-

At the same time Jean was meeting with his and Sophie's father. "Why did you want me to come here?" Jean questioned impatiently.

"He, we haven't seen us for some time and that's how you greet me?" Francois replied calmly.

"I have a guest waiting for me." Jean answered referring to Lucy. "I promised to return as soon as possible."

"I'm afraid that your guest has to wait. We need to talk." Jean's father led the way to the parlor. There they were taking place on the opposite sides of a desk. "First, let me tell you: you did well informing us about the Lycanoos' movements. Unfortunately they escaped with the help of an yet unknown person. Anyway, their target wasn't the town."

Jean was listening to the news. "But that wasn't the reason why you called me here?"

"That's right." his father admitted. "I was recently informed about the events on that island. Lisanna-kun transformed into the Garuda, didn't she?"

Jean was shocked about the fact that his father knew about the incident. He didn't even tell his sister about what had happened then in detail.

"I know that she can't transform into Garuda on her own." Francois went on. "You were responsible for it, weren't you? You two used a forbidden spell. It's a wonder that the situation turned out well."

'I can't tell him that it happened by accident. He would expel me...' he thought getting nervous. "I had no choice … Lisanna was about to use the Phoenix' magic."

"I see. But as my agent you have been too careless." his father stated. "It was your task to KILL her in such a critical situation. At least you have vowed to prevent her from ever using the Phoenix' magic again - no matter the means."

-…-

notes:

The chapter is named after the trio 'Stilbruch'. The band performs pop and rock music with classic instruments (cello, violin) and drums – and only their own songs. Texts in German and English. I have used texts of the songs 'Torn' and 'Take me higher'.

* * *

><p>Chapter 37B: The Sage of Water – Part I: Neptune's daughter<p>

It had been seven days since Juvia had joined the training of Gray and Lyon. By their former teacher Ul Milkovich the team had been invited the town of Undina – also called the Azure City and residence of the Sage of Water. Because of an important mission Ul hadn't been able to meet with them. Instead she had arranged a training week for her former students. The Azure Knights – the Sage's personal palace guards and all users of either water or ice related magic – agreed to take care of the guests instead.

In the morning Juvia and Lyon entered the outdoor training place in order to watch the battle between Gray and the First Knight, Conda. She was a tall, young woman in her early twenties with long, blue, curly hair. As First Knight she was the leader of the team.

"Alright, the rules are the same as last time." Crusher, a huge, muscular and bold guy and the Fourth Knight introduced the combatants. "It's a sudden death fight: The first one, who is hit by the opponent, is the loser".

"Alright, Gray-kun. After six attempts you should be able to win this time?" Conda tried to provoke her opponent.

"No, this time you may start. I will win this time either way." Gray replied determined.

"Well, then…" the blue haired woman drew her sword and pointed it towards the opponent. The blade started to become longer and was charging at Gray fast.

"Ice Make: Shield!" Gray created a large wall in front of him. But the blade was able to pierce through the ice.

"How boring. Don't tell me, it's already over." Conda commented.

"No, it won't be that easy." Gray answered. "I created a second layer that stopped your attack."

Conda tried to draw the blade back out of the ice but realized that it was stuck. "A trap?" she wondered.

"I let you pierce through the first layer on purpose. Then I refroze the broken spot." Gray revealed feeling to the upper hand. "Now, it's my turn. Ice Make: Hammer!"

Conda realized the hammer appearing above her in time and avoided being crushed by jumping to the side. "Not bad." she remarked. In her right hand she was wielding the sword that had returned to its original size.

-…-

From the side Juvia and Lyon were commenting the event. "How could she get away?" Juvia was confused. "I thought the sword was trapped in the ice shield?!"

"She severed the _head_." A relatively small, teenage girl with long, pink hair stated. She was referring to a part of the blade that still stuck in the ice wall. It was Mirage, the Third Knight, who had just joined Juvia and Lyon watching the fight.

"But it's still amazing how much Gray has improved." Lyon commented. "I mean that he could use that spell over such a distance. The opponent is at least four meters away. He even learned from the last try, when he used arrows. It took too much time since the way is blocked by the wall."

"Aw, Juvia wished she could get as strong as Gray-sama." she mentioned while looking in the air.

"Don't worry. You've become stronger as well." Lyon tried to flatter her. He then noticed that Juvia wasn't listening. "What's wrong?"

"There was someone watching us." Juvia was pointing to the highest tower of the palace.

"It's the princess." Mirage explained. "She has secretly been observing your training for the last few days. You might have raised her interest – unfortunately she is not allowed to leave the palace."

"The battle is continuing." Lyon concentrated his attention on Gray again.

"It's getting interesting." Mirage was curious about the outcome. "I wonder if Conda-kun is using all heads of her Hydra Sword this time."

-…-

The princess, who had been watching the event as well, was hiding next to the window after being spotted. Despite her status she was still a small, teenage girl with long orange hair. But her golden diadem and light-blue, elegant robe were proof of her important role.

"What's wrong, your highness?" a male's voice suddenly appeared from a large pier glass. "You look sad today. Well, sadder than usual."

"It's you, Mirror-san." her mood was raising after hearing the familiar voice. "I just wished I could be outside with them as well."

"But please understand that you are very important for everyone." the voice stated. "You are the last Neptune's daughter – the only person that is worthy of the title Sage of Water. Your safety is the highest priority to the people of Undina."

"But still – I just want to be free." the princess sighed in a sad voice.

* * *

><p>next chapter: The Sage of Water – Part II: The voice from the mirror<p> 


	38. Chapter 38: The invitation

notes: Again a part A (main story) and part B (team Juvia, Gray and Lyon).

* * *

><p><em>Summary:<em>

_At the same time the teams Lisanna/Natsu/Lucy/Nat/Happy, Sophie/Cathy/Jean and Elfman/Yamchu/Tenshinhan had arrived at Liliana. While most of them stayed at the Bouviers' estate over night, Lisanna had asked Lucy to wait in her apartment. Unexpectedly she met Jean there. Lisanna, Natsu and Happy later came to meet with Lucy but she wasn't at the apartment anymore._

_-…-_

_Meanwhile Lucy and Jean visited the bar Kakadu._

_Barkeeper: __"Additionally Stilbruch is playing today. They are preparing for the great event […] Lady Sasturs is holding a Magic Auction in her mansion."_

_-…-_

_Lisanna, Natsu and Happy arrived at the bar where they met Lucy alone. They had to leave soon again, when Natsu had been affected Stilbruch's Song Magic._

_-…-_

_Before, Jean had already been teleported back to the estate by his stepfather Francois Bouvier. There he was questioned about the incident when Lisanna had transformed into Garuda._

Chapter 38A: The invitation

Lisanna woke up early in the morning. She and Lucy had been spending the night in the apartment's main bedroom. Natsu and Happy were still sleeping on the couch in the living room. Carefully she checked the second bedroom. But nobody was inside the room and the bed looked unused. 'So, Jean didn't return last night?' she thought sighing.

One after another Lucy, Natsu and Happy woke up as well. Lisanna and Lucy were the first two to get ready in the bathroom. "Whew. That has really been a weird night." Lucy complained.

"Yeah …" Lisanna agreed. "I hope at least you had a good sleep?"

"Yes, I could sleep through the whole night. Your bed is really comfortable." Lucy stated. "By the way, what are we going to do today? Did you meet with that Bouvier-sama, yesterday?"

"Not really …" Remembering the meeting with Elfman, Lisanna started to worry her brother's health again. "I guess we should go back to the Bouviers' estate. I'm certain they have already prepared something for breakfast."

Lucy's rumbling stomach reminded her that in the end she didn't have a proper meal the day before. "I hope you're right."

-…-

[Bouviers' estate]

"Sir, everything has been prepared for breakfast." a servant informed Francois Bouvier.

"Good. You are dismissed for the moment." he ordered him to leave the room.

Sophie was entering the room. "Too-san, everyone will be ready soon." she told her father. "Maybe we should wait for the others as well?" she suggested referring to Lisanna, Natsu, Lucy and Happy.

"Good morning, Sophie. You are sure that they are coming here?" he wanted to know.

"I'm certain about it." Sophie assured. "Lisanna always used to be a welcome guest here and she knows that."

Then another person came in. "Yamchu-kun." Sophie greeted him. "How are you doing?"

"I'm feeling great." he then turned to Francois. "Thank you very much. That bath I took yesterday worked wonders. Almost all of my injuries are healed already."

"You don't need to thank me. I don't think the curing herbs did this." Francois replied. "Additionally we used some ingredients to stimulate your Wolf's regeneration magic."

"How are the others doing?" Sophie wanted to know concerning Elfman and Tenshinhan.

"Tenshinhan is still in a bad condition but he insisted on getting up." Yamchu told her. "I asked Nat-kun earlier ... he agreed on taking us back to Fairy Tail today. There I'm going to hold a proper funeral for my mother." he was referring to the former Lycanoos' queen Lupina. "But I'm afraid that Elf-kun is in no condition to accompany us."

"I see." Sophie replied. "But don't worry. Me and Lisanna will stay here and take care of him for the next time."

"Well …" Francois interrupted the conversation. "I leave you two alone for now. I still have things to be arranged." he said and left the room.

Yamchu waited a short while after Francois had left them and then turned to Sophie. "Did your father tell you something about Jean?" he asked her lowering his voice.

"About Chan-nii?" Sophie was confused what her comrade was talking about.

"Well, I understand now that, after taking the bath yesterday, my Wolf's magic was unusual strong. My senses were increased and I could hear through the walls." Yamchu explained. "I'm pretty sure that at one time I was able to hear your brother's voice. He was talking to your father – though I couldn't understand what they were saying."

"Are you sure about this?" for Sophie it was hard to believe it. "I mean I should have been able to notice him, unless …"

-…-

At the same time Lisanna, Natsu and Happy were on the way to Bouviers' estate. "Why did we leave Lucy behind?" a curious Natsu wanted to know.

"Perhaps she finally wanted to see her family?" Lisanna supposed. "Well, she made her decision all of a sudden."

"Family? I didn't know that she has relatives in the town." Natsu wondered.

"Yeah, I can't remember Lucy ever talking about her family, too." Happy added.

"What are you talking about? She told us, when we were on the way to Liliana." Lisanna couldn't believe it. She then recollected what Natsu was doing during the travel. 'Oh, right. Natsu was busy with his nausea the whole time and probably didn't listen.' she thought snickering. 'I can't help myself, but that's somehow cute.'

"What's so funny?" Natsu was confused about his friend's reaction.

"Did we say something wrong?" Happy wondered. "It's not nice to make fun of us."

"No, that's not it." Lisanna replied being sorry a bit. "I'll tell you then: Lucy is the daughter of the Heartfilia family that runs a very successful and influential company in Fiore. Its status is comparable to the noble families like Bouvier or Sasturs."

-…-

At the same time Lucy was standing alone in front of a huge, white gate. Behind it, a long path was leading to her family's mansion. Lucy was still hesitating to enter the estate. 'Mother is still taking care about the chaos in the Celestial Spirits' dimension and father is probably too busy to even welcome me.' the thought of her father made Lucy shiver. 'If he hadn't asked me, I wouldn't have come here.' she remembered Capricorn, the Goat, contacting her mind via Sternradio a short while ago. 'But his request seemed to be urgent, after all.'

"Lucy-sama!" a female voice called her from inside the estate. It was one the maids, she used be very close before leaving home and becoming a student of Fairy Tail. "Capricorn-san told me that you would come."

"Capricorn? He was able to come here?" Lucy asked confused since according to her information the chaos in the Spirits' realm hadn't been cleared, yet.

"Yes, but it was only for a very short moment." the maid told her. "If I got it right, Layla-sama has requested to give you this letter." she said handing it over.

"It's an invitation?!" Lucy concluded from what was written on the envelope.

"It's certainly for the ball taking place the evening before the Magic Auction." the maid assumed. "The auction is tomorrow, this means the ball is already tonight."

-…-

[Magic Council]

The members of the Council were discussing the appearance of an ominous item which was going to be auctioned during the upcoming event.

"The Observation Orb _Hyperion_ … it has been years since it had disappeared." Org-roshi mentioned. "… along with its owner."

"But it's impossible that _he_ has returned, isn't it?" another male member claimed becoming nervous. "I mean his disappearance had been confirmed by our own forces. Why would Janus return now?" A fierce discussion broke out between the members. Only Purehito-roshi managed to keep his calm.

"SILENCE!" the acting chairman Gran Doma demanded in a serious tone. "I have already asked Org-roshi to investigate this case, beforehand. Please tell us the result."

"I have contacted the Rune Knights' division commander, who had been leading the hunt after Janus. He ensured me that it is absolutely impossible that he is involved with the Magic Auction." Org-roshi reported. "And to be true – in my opinion the Roots of Order are still posing the actual treat, we should concentrate our forces on them."

The other members were undecided whether they should agree or not. In the end there was no objection.

"I agree with Org-roshi." Gran Doma finally decided. "We can't afford to waste our powers chasing after a phantom."

-…-

Sometime later, after the meeting had already ended, Purehito-roshi was walking through the council's corridors alone. 'To think that Janus might have returned …' he thought still worrying. 'But, there is yet another issue I can't ignore …' He took out the list of the auction's items. One of them was named broken pieces of the _Southern Crown_. 'Without doubt it's the Corona Australis - it had been owned by Zoldeo when he disappeared on that island. I have to retrieve it even if I have to use the forbidden power - the Seven Kin - again!'

-…-

[Some time earlier at the Bouviers' estate]

Nat were heading to the kitchen in order to have breakfast. Passing the parlor he accidently overheard a conversation between Francois Bouvier and the Council's member Org-roshi. Francois mentioning the name _Janus_ caught his attention. He was sure to have heard it before. But in that moment he couldn't clearly remember when. So he decided go on since the others were already waiting for him.

Entering the room Nat saw everyone had already gathered. They were sitting at a long table, which was set with plenty of food and drinks. Order first row: Happy, empty, Cathy, Yamchu, several empty seats; order second row: Natsu, Lisanna, Sophie, Tenshinhan, several empty seats. Nat decided to take the empty chair across from Lisanna.

"You really took your time." Cathy welcomed him jokingly.

"Yeah." Nat replied scratching the back of his head being embarrassed. His attention then turned to the conversation between Lisanna and Sophie.

"Chan-nii didn't return to the apartment, last night?" Sophie was surprised. "That's really strange. We need to ask Too-san about him."

Just in that moment Francois entered the room. In his right hand he was holding two letters. They were looking similar to the one that Lucy had received. Without saying a word he was about to take his place at the head of the table.

Nat abruptly stood up from his chair. "Bouvier-sama, I need to ask you something important." he stated in serious tone. "Who is Janus?"

-…-

[Sasturs' Mansion]

A good-looking guy with red-brown hair and a remarkable heart-shaped fringe on his forehead was knocking at the door to Lady Sasturs' room. "Milady, the assistants I have hired are arriving soon." he informed her.

"I see." the lady answered from the inside. "I am really excited to meet the famous _Trimen_. I appreciate your support, Rudy-kun. Now that everyone is gathered, let us get the party started."

"It's my pleasure, milady."

-…-

[Secret headquarter of the Roots of Order]

Netsrac, the organization's leader, summoned his right-hand man Albireo. "Unfortunately, we need more time. We can't afford to have our enemies to disturb the plan!"

"You don't need to worry, Netsrac-sama." Albireo tried to calm his master. "I received information from Sylvia who has joined with the Lycanoo tribe. The Black Prince has finally taken over the throne and is already on our side." he explained. "They will be a major contribution to our force."

"I'm still worried that Sylvia's actions might attract everyone's attention." the master suspected.

"Janus is already preparing his move against the Magic Council." Albireo stated referring to the masked guy who had confronted Lisanna, Natsu and the others on the island. "At the moment they are the leading entity coordinating any investigation on us. If his plan succeeds, they won't be able to go after us anymore."

"I see …" Netsrac didn't seem to be completely satisfied yet. "By the way, how is your mission in Undina proceeding?"

"Everything goes according to plan. Soon I will be able to complete my task."

* * *

><p>notes:<p>

In the story the Seven Kin are a secret division of the Magic Coucil. Actually, their use for missions must be legitimated by the Council's majority but Purehito uses them unauthorized under the pseudonym Hades.

Rudy was the antagonist during the Dating Competition

* * *

><p>Chapter 38B: The Sage of Water – Part II: The voice from the mirror<p>

As part of the training, Gray was battling against the palace guards' First Knight Conda and her Hydra Sword. Juvia and Lyon were watching the event from the side. They were accompanied by Mirage, the Third Knight, commenting the fight. "Conda-kun was using eight heads in the last fight. I wonder if she needs to use all nine this time." she mentioned curiously following the duel.

Meanwhile Gray continued his attacks. "Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" he shot several ice lances towards the opponent.

"Two easy!" Conda slashed her sword towards the projectiles. "Three headed Hydra!" It transformed into three whip-like blades with snake heads destroying the lances in their way. After the crushed ice had settled Conda noticed the shadow of Gray, who had been following his attack. Again, she slashed the three heads towards him.

By creating two ice swords, Gray was able to parry the first two blades and to cut their heads off. But then he was hit by the third one at his right shoulder.

"Not bad!" Conda commented slightly impressed. "You have finally managed to figure my weakness out."

"Yes. Your snake blades are as hard and as sharp as the original sword." Gray explained. "But the heads can be cut off. If that happens, you can't use them for some time. And now you have only six of them left."

"You are too confident!" Conda was provoked by Gray's comment. "Six headed Hydra! Let's see if you can handle this with your injured shoulder?!"

Suddenly the place was flooded by masses of water. "What? I can't move!" Gray realized that his legs were hold by something. The water then started to ascend along his body. In the end it strapped his body and arms like a rope. "What have you … ?" he wanted to say but noticed that Conda was in the same situation.

"What's going on?!" Juvia was taken aback witnessing the process. "The water is moving on its own?!"

"No …" Mirage replied. "It's Idon Pose - one of the elders ruling Undina."

The little, old man then appeared on the place. "I think it's enough for today." he decided. In his left hand he was holding a long staff with a blue gleaming crystal on the top. Suddenly Gray and Conda were released from their ties and the water flew back to the nearby basin where it had come from.

"Why did you interrupt us, Idon?" Conda wanted to know. "The training has been authorized by Ull-dono."

"You should show more respect!" the elder demanded. "The senate has decided on holding the ceremony tomorrow."

"The ceremony?" the First Knight was shocked. "Did you wait for Ull-dono's absence in order to decide that?" "How dare you … ?!" Idon wanted to counter was cut off by Conda: "We'll see … I'll find a way to stop it!" then she left the place.

"Ah, wait …" Gray was overwhelmed by the situation but decided to follow her. Juvia, Lyon, Mirage and Crusher did so as well.

The angered elder was left behind on the place. He secretly glared up to the princess' window in the highest tower. 'It wasn't me undoing the spell!" he thought worried. 'Her magic is getting stronger at a terrifyingly high speed! But that will be over soon!'

-…-

[At night]

"Your highness, are you still awake?" the man's voice from the mirror asked carefully.

"Mirror-san?" the princess was surprised because it was unusual for him to contact her at a late time.

"I have thought about your wish to be free …" he tried to start the conversation.

"It's too late!" she cut the off the sentence. "They are going to take my magic tomorrow. Conda-onee-chan warned me about it."

"But … that's horrible." the voice was taken aback. "What, if I tell you that there is a way to leave the palace once and for all?" he suggested.

"You mean I should flee? I can't do that! Even you told me that I'm important to everyone in Undina." the princess refused the proposal. "After all, I can understand them. Since my parents died in that horrible incident, I have been the only heir to the Water Sage's magic. But I'm still too young to control it."

"I see … but if I told you, that the death your parents wasn't an incident but orchestrated by the senate, …" the voice suddenly revealed. "… would that change your mind?"

The princess was speechless. Her eyes started to widen more and more.

-…-

[At the same time]

In the dark of the night a group of strange, shadowy creatures was entering Undina using the canals leading from the nearby river to the water basins inside the palace areal. They stopped for a moment and one of them carefully surfaced from the water in order to check the surroundings. "Let's go fishing!"

-…-

[A few days ago]

A middle-aged, bald headed man was sitting at the sea shore, at the end of a landing stage. He was wearing dark-green, tattered trousers, which were turned up to his knees. He didn't wear any shirt and his muscular upper body had several scars all over it – a particularly big one diagonally over his right chest. Although the sun was already setting, he was still fishing.

"Please excuse my rude disruption …" another man's voice suddenly appeared from the water. "Could it be that you are the man known as _Fisherman_?" he wanted to know.

"Get lost!" the fisher replied without showing any sign of surprise. "You are scaring the fishes."

"Oh, my! But it looks like you haven't been very lucky today." the voice stated referring to the empty bucket standing next to the fisher. "It must be hard to catch any fish by using a communication lacrima."

"You are talking too much. I don't like other people!" the fisher replied emotionlessly. "What can I do to make you disappear?"

"What can I do in order to receive your help?" the voice countered the question.

"Make the fishes leave the water!" Fisherman requested in serious tone.

"Well, I figured that you would request something like that." the other man responded. Suddenly a hand was reaching out of the water. He summoned nine colored pills. "The fishes need just to swallow these pills and your wish will come true. In exchange, I want you to _visit_ the Water Sage's palace in Undina. I'll tell you the details later." Afterwards the hand disappeared in the water again.

After taking the pills, Fisherman stood up and summoned a large harpoon in his right hand. "Let's go fishing!"

* * *

><p>notes: Originally I planned more action for Juvia and Lyon but decided to concentrate the princess' story.<p>

next chapter: The Sage of Water – Part III: Fish Invasion


	39. Chapter 39: Who is Janus

notes:

This time only the part A (main story). Part B (team Juvia, Gray and Lyon) will follow soon.

* * *

><p><em>[Heartfilias' estate]<em>

_"It's an invitation?!" Lucy concluded._

_"It's certainly for the ball taking place the evening before the Magic Auction." the maid assumed._

_-…-_

_[Sasturs' estate]_

_Lady Sasturs: "I am really excited to meet the famous Trimen. I appreciate your support, Rudy-kun. Now that everyone is gathered, let us get the party started."_

_-…-_

_[Bouviers' estate]_

_Francois was holding two letters. They were looking similar to the one that Lucy had received. _

_Nat: "Bouvier-sama, […] Who is Janus?"_

Chapter 39: Who is Janus?

[Bouviers' estate]

Everyone was surprised by Nat's sudden question. Yamchu, Tenshinhan and Cathy didn't have the slightest idea, who he was speaking about. Sophie was sure to have already heard that name sometime.

"That's interesting …" Francois commented. "Jean had recently asked me the same question …"

"Does that mean that Jean was here last night?" Lisanna wanted to know eagerly.

"Yes, but he isn't here anymore. Last night, I had to send him on an important mission." Francois explained. "He was sorry for leaving without saying goodbye. But you don't need to worry – he will be back soon."

In Sophie's eyes it was an airy statement, but for now she believed her father.

"Ok, then what about this guy called Janus?" Nat finally returned to his first question. "Earlier, I overheard your conversation and remembered that I have already heard that name." Nat stated.

"Wasn't Janus the name of that masked guy, we met on the Dragon Island?" Happy wondered.

_FLASHBACKS_

_Janus: "As bearer of the magic of a new generation, I devotedly ask for the power of the essences of existence. Wu Xing Seal: Release the Cycle of Destruction!"_

_[...]_

_"I should introduce me properly: My name is Jean Duval, codename: Janus, [...]."_

PRESENT

"You're right." Natsu recalled the encounters as well.

"He helped us a lot during the adventure." Lisanna added. "But he was still a quite ominous person."

_FLASHBACK_

_Janus: "But keep in mind: the next time we meet again, I might be your enemy. I truly hope this time won't come soon."_

PRESENT

"Please, wait a moment." Francois intervened. "Does that mean that you have faced someone named Janus?" he wanted to know unbelievingly.

"Yes, he introduced himself as Jean Duval, a member of the Roots of Order." Nat told him. "Up to now we didn't really have an opportunity to tell someone."

"I see …" Francois was in thoughts. Something seemed to bother him. For a moment he wasn't saying anything, rethinking the news.

"Too-san? Is there anything wrong?" Sophie noticed the concerns of her father.

"Well, at first I need to tell you: Whoever that person was which you have met on the island - it wasn't _Janus_. About eight years ago, the real one vanished without leaving any trace. I can't tell you the details now, but I know that it's impossible that he has reappeared." her father explained.

"You mean the other one was faking his identity?" Lisanna was confused. "Why would he do this? I mean we didn't even know him beforehand."

"But on other hand he seemed to know Natsu." Happy added referring to the first meeting between Natsu and the masked guy at the pillars.

_FLASHBACK_

_Janus: "It's up to you to believe me or not. I just came in order to warn you, Salamander-sama [...]_

PRESENT

"Really?" Natsu couldn't remember all the details.

"But that still doesn't explain why he's copied the identity of Janus." Cathy wondered.

"There is one possibility: The original Janus was a wanted Dark Mage. Not only the Council was after him – other organizations hunted him as well in order to use his rare magic for their purposes." Francois explained. "Most people still think that Janus might still be alive hiding somewhere. After all, his death has never been verified. The fake one probably intended to use an infamous name while having an excuse to use a disguise at the same time."

"That could be a possibility." Lisanna agreed. "The guy we met on the island was wearing a long, white cloak and a black mask the whole time. We weren't able to see his face even once."

Sophie was listening to the conversation. Something was bothering her. "I still don't understand anything, Too-san." she finally stated addressing her father. "You didn't know about that new guy claiming the name Janus, up to now. And you said yourself that it is impossible that the real Janus has reappeared." she concluded. "But who was the conversation about, which Nat-kun has referred to?"

"Actually I didn't plan to tell it in front of everybody …" Francois started to explain. "Recently the Council has been informed about the reappearance of an item, which had originally been possessed by the real Janus. It is offered for sale during the Magic Auction at Lady Sasturs' mansion. I'm going to investigate how she was able get hold of that item and I'll need your help."

-…-

[Sometime later outside the mansion]

It was time for the comrades to depart again. Yamchu had decided to go back to Fairy Tail in order to provide his deceased mother a proper funeral. Cathy and Tenshinhan decided to accompany him and Nat had already agreed to take them there with his airship.

"Please tell the others that we are alright and that we will follow you as soon as possible." Lisanna asked Yamchu. "If Mira-nee has already returned from training, she might be worried."

"No problem." Yamchu replied. "What shall I tell her about Elf-kun? Unfortunately he is in no condition to return with us yet."

"You don't need to worry." Sophie stated reassuringly. "My father's attendants will care for him. I'm sure that Elfman-kun will recover soon and then we will come back to Fairy Tail as well."

Cathy, who was listening to the conversation, noticed that Natsu and Happy were standing aside of the group. "And you two are sure that you don't want to come with us?" she wanted to know.

"Lucy is still in the town, as well." Natsu replied. "I won't just leave without her."

"Aye!" Happy agreed. "I wonder how she is doing. She hasn't contacted us since she went to her family's home."

Nat, who had been checking his airship, approached the group. "I've finished the preparations for taking off. We can start as soon as you are ready."

"Well, it's time." Yamchu stated and went aboard. "See ya!" He was then followed by Tenshinhan, Cathy and Nat after they had said goodbye. For a while everyone was watching the ship flying off.

"We should go as well, Happy." Natsu said after a while.

"Please wait." Lisanna turned to him. "Are you going to meet Lucy at the Heartfilias' estate?" she wanted to know. Natsu answered her, nodding his head. "Please take this." she handed a key over to the dragon slayer. "I guess as long as Jean is away, you can use the apartment if you need to. Let's meet there tomorrow."

"Well, thank you." Natsu replied being a bit surprised. His face then turned into a smile. "See you tomorrow." Then he and Happy left as well.

"Is that really all right?" Sophie asked Lisanna after they had gone. "I can tell that you would prefer to go with them."

"It's ok." Lisanna answered smiling but it was not very convincing. "I promised Francois-sama to help him out this time. He has always been supporting me during the past two years. It's the least I can do."

"I see." Sophie returned a compassionate smile. "Then let's go. Too-san will explain us the details of his plan."

-…-

[Sasturs' mansion]

Nine people were standing in a row in front of the lady's room, waiting for her to come out. Amongst them were Rudy and the Trimen – Hibiki, Eve and Ren. Everyone was formally dressed in a black suit.

'Do you know the others?' Hibiki asked Rudy whispering. 'I was able to find out that the ones standing to the right of you are a team called the _Four Roses_. But there was no further information available. Additionally I have absolutely no idea, who that young girl on the left hand side could be.'

'Well, I don't have any further information about the Four Roses, as well.' Rudy replied whispering. 'I can only tell you their names:

The middle-aged man with the long, brown hair is Gaius Marius;

The small woman with the long, blond hair is Iulia Major;

That other woman with the red-brown pigtail is her younger sister Iulia Minor – although she's by far the strongest and largest of them;

And the young guy with the short, spiked, blond hair is Lucius Marcius.'

He then turned to the left side. 'This young girl with the blond pigtails is Sophie Gadget. She was an applicant for the Fallen Phoenix Academy. Everyone had high expectations in her but then the academy was closed suddenly.'

'Why was she hired for this mission?' Hibiki wondered.

'As far as I know she can use Archive Magic, too.'

Hibiki was visibly astounded hearing the news. But their conversation was interrupted by the opening of two-winged door to the lady's room. It was the first time for everyone to meet their employer face to face.

Lady Sasturs was a young woman of the slender build. To everyone's surprise – and to the pleasure of the men being present – she was wearing a black, revealing dress: a sleeveless and almost backless top with very thin straps, which could hardly hide her ample bosom; long gloves to the elbows; long boots ending shortly under the knees; a long skirt revealing her left leg. Opposite to her exposing dress, she was hiding her face behind a transparent, black veil. Her hair was concealed under a black tulle hat.

Walking past the row of people the lady was examining her employees. For her it was the first time to meet them face to face, as well. "I have hired you at the recommendation of the _Order of the Feather_. I have no doubt that you will fulfill your duties without fail."

-…-

[Later in the evening]

Francois and Sophie Bouvier were about to enter the front gate of the Sasturs' estate. Francois was wearing an evening dress with black silk trousers and a white cotton shirt under a midnight-blue tailcoat. Sophie was wearing yellow, full-skirted, flouncy gown and a turquoise bow on her forehead. They were accompanied by a black-haired, young looking servant dressed as formal as his master. He was hiding his eyes behind sunglasses. He was only a bit taller than Sophie.

From the distance Francois was watching the guest's identities and invitation cards being checked carefully at the gate. "This is bad." he said in a reserved tone. "I have already anticipated that we won't be allowed to use magic inside the mansion but I still underestimated their security preparations."

"They are just checking the invitations, so what's wrong?" his daughter wondered.

"The blond guy is Lucius Marcius of the Four Roses. The members of this team aren't wizards. They even are hypersensitive to magic and are equipped with magic-cancelling gloves." Francois explained. "On the other hand they can easily detect someone casting a spells or someone just wielding a magic item."

"Then Sophie …" the servant started to say in a strangely high voice. After carefully looking around he changed it into a lower one. "I mean … Sophie-sama won't be able to use her magic."

"Exactly. You will need to stay at her side for the whole time." Francois replied referring to his daughter's blindness. "Additionally we might have problems using the third invitation. Please wait here, while I'm entering alone. Then try to somehow get in as well, but don't push it too hard. We mustn't cause any ruckus … yet." Then he headed for the gate.

-…-

[Later]

Sophie and her companion were trying to enter the mansion as well. Lucius was checking the identity of the servant. "You are not Jean Bouvier?" he wondered comparing the name on the invitation card and the corresponding information, which was being transmitted by Hibiki, with the appearance of the person standing in front of him.

Sophie noticed the issue and went over to aid her servant. "My assistant is filling in for my brother, who is currently unavailable." she explained. "I hope there won't be any problem."

The guard realized that Sophie was blind and concluded that she would need somebody to guide her. "We just need to verify this person's identity. One of my colleagues is already checking the data."

-…-

[In a room inside the mansion]

Hibiki, who was connected to the guard at the entrance via telepathy, already knew about the issue. He was transferring the information seen and heard by Lucius into his database. 'I have entered the person's parameter and compare with the information in my Archive. I should be able to provide the result in less than a minute.'

With him was the second Archive Magic user Sophie Gadget. "Is there anything wrong?" she wondered after a while.

"Not yet. But the checking of the data is taking more time than expected." Hibiki worried.

"Why don't you just look up the name?"

"That won't be reliable enough." Hibiki replied while being busy to watch the magical screens in front of him. Without him noticing there was a loading bar above his head. The upload had just been completed. "Ah, I've finally found an entry matching most of the parameters." he stated and then contacted the Lucius Marcius again: 'I just need to check one more detail: Please ask the servant to remove the sunglasses.'

After the assistant had done as tasked, Hibiki transferred the new data and checked it. 'Eye color: blue.' he thought while accessing the information.

-…-

notes:

Finally Lady Sasturs appears. I had already mentioned her in previous chapters. I had difficulties describing her appearance. She looks like Cocona as seen on the cover of Mashima's one-shot manga.

next chapter: A little party never killed nobody – Part I

theme song for the following chapters: 'A little party never killed nobody' from the soundtrack 'Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film The Great Gatsby'


End file.
